


Relinquish

by TheTurtleFromHell



Series: The Big S3 Fix-It [3]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Gore, Elements of Horror, Fix-It, Multi, Religious Discussion, Religious Imagery & Symbolism
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-05-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:22:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 34,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23225509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTurtleFromHell/pseuds/TheTurtleFromHell
Summary: Something is going on in Lindenfield, and it's not the usual magical bullshit. Trevor and Sypha will need all the help they can get if they hope to figure out the mystery.
Relationships: Hector/Isaac Laforeze, Trevor Belmont/Sypha Belnades
Series: The Big S3 Fix-It [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1657339
Comments: 89
Kudos: 121





	1. Chance Meetings

Two birds fought in the middle of the road for seeds, trying to scare the other off and take the bounty for themselves. When a cart came down the road however, they quickly abandoned the prize they had fought so hard for and flew off into the trees.

Miranda napped in the back of the cart as Isaac steered down the road, Hector sitting next to him and admiring the scenery as they rode through. 

Nobody would think anything was out of place with the three, if not for the giant black unicorn (which Hector had taken to calling Bucephalus, or ‘Buck’ for short) pulling their cart.

They had only been on the road together for a few weeks, and yet it felt like they had all been friends for years. The nights spent gathered with them around a fire gave him more sense of belonging than… well, anything else in his life.

“Alright,” Isaac said, “We’ll stop here and walk the rest of the way to town.”

Miranda groaned and stretched behind them, “Is it that time already?”

“Yes,” he says as he hops off, walking to the front of the cart and undoing the reins, “Feel free to walk around, just don’t cause any trouble.” he told Buck. The unicorn huffed as he began to walk away, grabbing and pulling him by the hood hard enough to nearly make the man stumble back.

Isaac yelped as he caught himself, turning and narrowing his eyes at his steed, “Watch it.” he warned. Buck whinnied and bowed his head in what could qualify as a look of shame.

“Aw, don’t be like that.” Hector cooed, wrapping his arms around its thick neck, “We’ll bring you back some nice veal from town if you behave yourself.”

Buck, seemingly satisfied with the compromise, nudged Hector with his nose to prompt him to scratch their snout.

“You know, he wasn’t this needy before you came into the picture.” he said, crossing his arms, “You’ve spoiled my damn unicorn rotten, Hector. Only you could achieve such a feat.”

Hector laughed, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“If you boys are done flirting,” Miranda says as she grabs her bag and starts heading down the road, “I’d like to get myself a bed and a bath.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Hector chimed in as he took his suitcase off the cart.

Isaac sighed, “The two of you seem to conveniently forget we have a budget when we go into towns.”

“Why are you so stingy with money anyways?” she scoffs, “What are you planning to do, buy a house?”

“... emergency funds.” is all he says in reply.

Miranda rolls her eyes, “If we happen across an emergency that can’t be solved with night creatures or a good ol’ knife fight, then you can tell me ‘I told you so’. Until then, I’m putting our coin to good use and having a damn bath.”

Isaac watched her go down the road in silence as Hector chuckles behind him, “Are you afraid of her or something?”

“Just respecting my elders is all.” he sighs.

* * *

“Got a room for the night?” Trevor asked as he approached the innkeeper, desperate for a bed after the night creature ambush.

“I got one room left.” the innkeeper informed him, “You killed that thing out there? You can have it free of charge.”

“Really?” he smiled, “Great, let me get my things.”

He walked out, glancing around until he spotted the love and light of his life talking with a townsman, “Sypha!” he called, waving a hand at her, “I got us a room for free!”

“Oh, did you now?” she turned, “How many tricks did my deformed bear have to perform to get that?”

“Haha, very funny.” he stuck his tongue out.

“Anyways, come over here, this man has a job for us!” she said, waving him over.

Trevor was just about to, when suddenly a man knocked shoulders with him, shoving him out of his way, “Hey!”

The man, dark skinned and with strange tattoos only spared him a glance, explaining himself with “You were blocking the door.” before continuing inside.

Trevor scoffed indignantly, practically stomping over to Sypha.

“Nice of you to join us,” she smiled, only to frown at his pouty face, “What happened?” she whispered.

“Nothing.” he whispered back, clearing his throat and looking the man up and down 

(He had expensive taste, he’d give him that), “And who might you be?”

“You may simply call me the Judge,” the man said, “I protect and watch over this town, however something has come up that is outside of my… skill set, if you will.”

“Whatcha got?” he asked, folding his arms.

“A group of men claiming to be men of the cloth came and asked to use our church.” he begins, looking towards said church. The thing was old, barely standing like an elderly person awaiting death.

“You don’t think they’re from the Church?” Trevor presses.

“I don’t think they’re men of God at all,” he turns back to them, “People hear strange noises and see bright lights coming from there at night. Any time I try to investigate, I get confronted by their thugs.”

“Doesn’t sound very godly at all.” Sypha hums in thought, “We’ll consider looking into it.”

“Thank you,” he nods, “You can meet me at the town hall at nine a.m., I’ll expect you there.”

“Sure thing.” Trevor agrees, and with that they split ways.

“So how good of a room are we talking about?” Sypha asked.

“One with a bed big enough for two to do more than sleeping,” he chuckled, kissing her temple. She smiled and followed him into the inn, where the man from earlier was arguing with the innkeeper. Trevor stopped to watch.

“Come on, there has to be something!” the man pleaded, “Is there anyone in town who will offer shelter for coin?”

“Not that I know of.” the innkeeper shrugged, “Listen pal, you’re out of luck. Just move on to the next town, it’s only a few days' travel.”

Sypha blinked, looking between Trevor and the men, “What’s going on?”

“Karma in action.” the Belmont smirked.

  
  


“Please,” the man sighed, “I have an elderly woman with me. We’ve been on the road so long that I can’t bear the thought of putting her through another night on it.”

Sypha looked at Trevor with the eyes that would rival a kicked puppy. Oh no.

“Don’t.” he warned.

She placed a hand over her heart as if wounded, the sad look in her eyes continuing to weigh down on his very soul.

“... fine.” he sighs.

She immediately beamed, not a trace of sadness left on her face as she rushed over, “Excuse me sir!”

The man looked to her, “May I… help you?”

“I overheard your predicament,” she smiled kindly, “My boyfriend and I would be more than happy to share our room.”

“Oh really?” he hummed in thought as he looked to the Belmont (who most definitely did not look away to avoid his intimidating eyes), “Would that be alright?”

“You’d have to bring in some bedrolls, but we should fit.” she says.

The man finally smiled back at her and nodded, “Thank you, Ms…?”

“Sypha Belnades.” she shakes his hand.

“Isaac LaForeze.” he replies, “I’ll go tell my friends the good news.”

The Speaker walked back to him with the proudest of looks, hands on her hips “See? Doesn’t it feel nice to do kind things?”

“Yeah, lovely. Absolutely lovely.” he muttered, “Not as nice as sex, though."

That earned him a punch to the gut that took the wind out of him.


	2. Introductions

“Thank you again,” Hector says as he lays out his bedroll, “Please, let us thank you with dinner.”

Trevor's eyes lit up at the offer like a kid in a candy shop, “Sure, sounds fair enough.” he turned to put his things on his side of the bed, only to find Miranda sitting there, “Oh, er, ma’am...?

She looked up at him with an indifferent expression, “Are you really going to fight an elder for a bed? Is that a fight you want to have?”

“Um, no ma’am, sorry ma’am.” he sputtered, lowering his head (curse his noble gentleman upbringing!).

“Wise choice.” she says, relaxing into the pillows with relish.

Isaac smirked, whispering to Sypha, “Miranda knows nobody wants to tangle with mad old woman and she abuses the fact like the devil.”

“The type of woman I aspire to be.” she chuckles, “So, since you’re buying dinner, I take it you’ll need someone to help you carry all that food?”

“Oh,” Hector says, “I was going to help-”

“Nonsense,” the Speaker raises a hand, “You folks take it easy,as a Speaker I’m happy to aid.” she turned to Isaac, “Shall we get going then?”

“Yes,” he nods, “Let’s.”

Hector watched as they descended the stairs, worrying his bottom lip.

“You seem on edge,” Trevor observes, “Relax, I’m not going to rob you in your sleep or anything.”

“No, it’s not that,” Hector assures, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you.”

He looks confused at that, “Hey, no hurt feelings here. It’s alright to be suspicious of people you just met.”

“Right…” he says, “Actually, I’d like to tell you something, before anything else.”

“Oh?” Trevor folded his arms, “What’s that?”

“We’re... forgemasters.” he says, nearly stuttering, “Isaac and I actually forged armies for Dracula, Miranda just… she does her own thing.”

“Damn right I do.” she says as she lights her pipe.

Trevor blinks at him, “You’re kidding.”

“I’m really not.”

“You made all those demons?” he asks.

“Not all, Isaac and I split the work half and half,” he pauses, “I know you probably want to strangle me right now-”

“I do,” he deadpans, “But something tells me you're going to give me a reason why I shouldn’t.”

“Because Isaac and I have changed,” he continues, “Dracula lied to me about his intentions, though I admit even the plan he gave me sounds cruel, and Isaac… well, nobody has the right to hate humanity more than Isaac does.”

“So what made you changed men?” Trevor asks as he walks over, towering over the man, “What reason do I have to trust either of you?”

“None,” Hector responds plainly, “Nothing we do or say can redeem our crimes, but that doesn’t stop us from living a better life. Surely you of all people understand that, right?”

Trevor mulls for a moment, before sitting down with a sigh, “Thank you, for telling me.”

“Thank you for listening.” he plies, smiling softly.

“So…” he coughed awkwardly, “What are you doing now that you’re not… making armies?”

“Surprisingly, very well.” he says, “After Isaac saved me, and after I met Miranda, we went out to find work. Not everyone has a Belmont to protect them from wild demons, so we forge them a creature that’s bound to their will, and make our living that way.”

“How do you know they won’t use it for evil?” he pressed, earning a scoff from Miranda.

“That’s like saying every blacksmith should stop making knives and swords for the chance they end up in the wrong hands.”

“... Point taken.” he concedes.

* * *

“... and a dozen sweet rolls.” Sypha adds, “And-, do you want some pork goulash?

Isaac shook his head, “I don’t eat pork.” he shrugged.

“Alright, one bowl only then.” she tells the cook, who nods and disappears into the back with her order.”

“Not a fan of pork eh?” she asks as they lean against the counter, “Don’t like the taste or religious reasons?”

“Bit of both,” he confesses, “Everyone insists bacon is delicious, but how could anything so greasy and fat covered taste good?”

Sypha laughs, “Precisely why I let Trevor take my share.”

“That’s funny, I do the same with Hector and Miranda.” he says thoughtfully.

Their shared laughter trails off, and silence falls between them.

“So…” Isaac says, “Are we going to keep pretending like we don’t know each other?”

“I was waiting for you to acknowledge it first,” she says, “I wasn’t sure if you’d remember me or not.”

“How could I forget? Your magic is very distinctive,” he looks at her, “And you’re not even bothering to hide it’s aura.”

“Because I don’t feel I have to,” she states, “At least, I didn’t. But now I may.” she says as she glances out the inn window towards the church.

Isaac follows her gaze, “You feel it too?” 

“Dark magic,” she nods.

“There’s a night creature too,” he adds, “A powerful one, but I can’t recognize the type of magic it uses.”

Oh dear,” she sighs, “What on Earth have we gotten ourselves into?”

He looks at her with a dumbfounded expression,“We?” he says incredulously.

“Well if there’s night creature business in there, I’ll need an expert. So how about it, work with us and we’ll split the reward even.” she offers.

Isaac stares at her for a moment, then sighs, “I must have gone insane... Fine, we’ll work with you.”

“Wonderful!” she claps, “It’s a deal then.”

“I must admit, it is concerning how easily you trust me knowing I’m Dracula’s forgemaster.” he confesses.

“Oh, it’s not that I trust you,” she says much too cheerily, “It’s that if you did try to backstab me, I’d kill you before you knew what hit you.”

“I’d like to see you try it.” he challenged.

They glared at each other grimly for a moment, before snorting and laughing hysterically.

* * *

“We return from our quest!” Sypha announces as she walks into the room, arms full of hot meals, “Grab what you’d like.”

“Sypha,” Trevor says, “You’re not going to believe it, they’re-”

“Dracula’s forgemasters.” she finishes for him, “Anyone want a roll?”

Hector stares at her, “How did you…?”

“She met me in the castle, before Dracula flung me to safety.” Isaac explained as he took his meal of beef rolls, saying “Bismallah” right before eating the first bite. 

“Wait,” Trevor said, “Hold up, I’m sorry, when was this?”

“In the stairwell before we reached Dracula.” she recalls, “If I remember correctly, you were too busy kicking a vampire corpse to look up.”

“I was making sure it was dead!” he cried out in defense, “That’s what you do in battle, you make sure things are staying dead!”

“If you're not confident in your skills, then yes.” she says, “Anyways, Isaac has agreed to help us.”

Miranda and Hector’s eyes both widened, looking to the forgemaster for explanation.

“We need coin, and herein lies an opportunity for a large sum of it.” he pauses to take a sip of water, “So, I say we take it.”

“Would it happen to have something to do with the church?” Hector asks, “Because that place reeks of something malicious.”

“Yes,” Sypha nods, “So here’s the plan we have so far…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am keeping with the canon of Isaac being Muslim as you can see. I did research, but if I wrote anything that's not accurate or offensive, please let me know!!


	3. Disturbance

Saying that something malicious was inside the church was an understatement, Hector decided as he walked up the path to it.

Whatever was in there was upsetting the fabric of reality itself, like a stain on a silk gown.

The two men at the gates tensed upon spotting the forgemasters coming up the path, the larger of the two holding up a hand, “No further, what is your business?”

“We have come to offer our services.” Isaac replies coolly, “We’re forgemasters.”

The two monks exchanged a look, nodding and opening to doors, “Proceed.”

  
As they stepped inside a man, presumably the head priest, walked to them.

“I am Prior Sala,” the man greeted, “What may I help you with, gentleman?”

Something about his eyes were unsettling, as if they had seen more than they had meant to. Hector looked to Isaac for reassurance before speaking, “We are Dracula’s human generals,” he says, ignoring the shocked looks from the congregation, “Forgemasters to be precise.”

“Interesting,” the monk hums, “Tell me, is it true you gaze upon Hell each time you pull a soul from it?”

“I don’t know where you heard that from, but it is false.” Isaac answered, “But we do create connections to the beasts we summon, I’ve even had more intelligent ones explain to me what Hell is like, things about it that no mortal would be able to know otherwise.”

“I see.” he says, “Arnold, get our friends some tea, will you? And the two of you, come with me.”

Hector and Isaac nodded, following him to a set of old, dilapidated pews. 

“Tell me,” he says as they sit, “What are your thoughts about God’s plan?”

“I’m afraid I have no thoughts on the matter,” Hector said, “I’ve been too occupied with my life in this realm to worry about the next.”

Sala nodded in thought, “And you?” he turned to Isaac.

“I believe God is our creator like any other religious man, I believe he gives us the tools we need to live life according to his plan, but I also believe a major part of it is that he gave us free will, so that we may write our stories in his book of life.”

“I see,” he says, pausing as the monk brought the requested cups of tea and thanking him, “And so, do you believe it was part of his plan that Lucifer fell from grace?”

“I don’t believe in Lucifer,” he said as he took his own cup, “But I do believe that if God created all, then evil is too His creation. When Moses asked Iblis why he refused to bow to Adam according to God’s command to do so, he said that it was merely a test. He even said that his form as a manifestation of sin was merely temporary, and that his love for God remains the same.”

“How very interesting,” he hums in thought, “Then do you believe that Hell itself might hold God’s wisdom?”

Isaac blinked, “I… don’t follow.”

“Let me phrase it another way then,” he says, “If Hell and Sin were all part of His greater plan, then wouldn’t the demons of Hell be just as much bearers of His wisdom as the angels of Heaven?”

“Aren’t the goals of demons to lead us astray from God’s path?” Isaac poses, “If that is their goal, then how can they bear His Wisdom?”

“Because it is part of His plan.” the priest insists, looking towards the cross, “I do not ask you to accept my theories. All I seek is knowledge, so that I may learn more about Hell and it’s wisdom.”

“If that is what you need, we’ll help.” Hector said, “Provided we are compensated with supplies”

“Of course.” he says, “To learn more about God’s true land, no amount of supplies will be too much.”

“It’s a deal then.” he said, offering his hand.

“There is just one thing I ask of the both of you.”

Hector pulled back his hand, holding it to his chest, “What would that be?”

Sala looked to them with his unsettling eyes, “I ask that you treat me as if I were mad.”

* * *

The door clicked open as Sypha skipped out, Trevor behind her looking rather unamused.

“How’d it go?” Hector asks without looking up, too busy drawing a masterpiece in the dirt with a stick to do so.

“Well, he’s offered to pay our rent.” Trevor sighed, “So there’s that. How’d it go at the church?”

“Without a hitch,” Isaac said, “There is definitely something… off, about that entire congregation. They are obsessed with the notion of Hell and what it entails.”

“Aren’t most Christians?” he asks as they begin the walk back, “I mean, they do preach a lot about fire and brimstone as much as they do about God.”

“This was different,” Hector says, eyes narrowing, “He kept saying things like ‘if God planned Hell, then His wisdom lies in it’ or something along those lines.”

“Alright, that’s a bit more worrying,” he concedes, “So what will you two do?”

“We will comb through the information they have gathered, press them for more information for their plans under the guise of wanting to help them pull off whatever it is they want.” he pauses, “Isaac, I’m going to go feed Buck, I’ll be back in a bit.”

He pecked Isaac on the cheek and headed down an alley, leaving the fellow forgemaster with a soft smile spreading across his face as he touched the spot where Hector had pressed his lips to him.

“Aaaaaw, someone’s in love~” Trevor sing-songs, laughing as Sypha punches his arm.

Isaac sighed, “I will literally kill you if you say another word, Belmont.” he said as he continued walking.

“Honestly, you’re one to be teasing,” Sypha chides as she follows him, “I swear to God you nearly faint any time I even touch you.”

“What can I say, my love for you is so overwhelming it leaves me dizzy.” he says with dramatic flair.

Isaac and Sypha both roll their eyes at the theatrical display.

As they reach the inn, they spot Miranda as she sits in the entry of the alley, smoking her pipe.

She glances up as they approach, smiling, “Sypha dear, would you mind keeping an old lady company while she enjoys a smoke?”

Sypha smiled, “I’d be happy to.” she said, taking a seat by her side. Miranda’s eyes softened, then hardened as she looked at the two men waiting expectantly, “Did I say anything about you two joining us?”

“Enjoy your smoke.” Isaac says simply, grabbing the confused Belmont by the wrist and dragging him into the inn.

“Men,” she scoffed, “I never much cared for them. You smoke?” she asks, offering the pipe.

“A few times.” Sypha says as she took it, taking a long drag, “Woah, that’s-” _cough_ , “That’s strong.”

“Burns, don’t it?” Miranda chuckled as she took it back, “It’s supposed to cleanse your aura, keep your magic focused and preserved.”

“Does it work?” Sypha asked with a tilt of the head.

“I’ll let you know.” she paused to take another puff, “The Belmont boy, do you love him?”

“Is it that obvious?” she laughs nervously, blushing like a shy maiden and hating it, “He’s just so… I don’t know, he makes me laugh with his horrible jokes, and when we fight it just feels so, so compatible! We go on adventures and fight demons and rescue helpless villagers, it feels like something we’re meant for. I don’t need him in order to do all of those things necessarily, but I want to do it with him.”

“That’s good.” Miranda says, “You two make a nice pair.”

“Have you ever been in love?” the Speaker asks.

“A few times,” she says, tapping the ashes from her pipe, “They were just flights of fancy, things never meant to be. However, I did marry.”

“Really?” she blinks.

“It was a marriage of convenience really,” she says nonchalantly, tucking her pipe into her sleeve, “His eyes were set on men, and mine on women. So we married to save face.”

“Oh…” Sypha says, “I’m sorry.”

“Thank you,” she says, “It wasn’t entirely loveless though. I brought home women some nights, he brought home men on others. We understood each other in a way nobody else could. If you want to feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for the poor old lady next door who kept asking why I wasn’t having children.”

They both burst out laughing, holding their stomachs and hitting the floor, laughing and laughing until neither could breath. Once Sypha managed to calm herself, something behind Miranda caught her eye, “Wait.” she gasped.

“What, what is it?”

“Move over,” she said, waving her hand to the side. Confused, Miranda scooted over and watched as the Speaker squinted at the wall, “See that?”

Miranda followed her gaze to a particular wood plank, with a symbol freshly carved into its surface, “The symbol of Saturn?”

“The alchemist symbol for lead if I remember right,” Sypha hums in thought, “It has darker undertones as well, right?”

“Indeed, Speaker. On one side of the coin it represents order and focus, on the other side it represents death and the harvesting of souls.” she presses her fingers to the carving, shutting her eyes in thought, “This isn’t just an idle carving that happened to look like this symbol, this is intentional, and I doubt the intentions are good.”

Sypha swallows thickly, an intense feeling of dread creating a pit in her stomach, “We need to tell the others.”

* * *

“Here we are,” Hector said as he placed the paper package on the ground, untying the strings and revealing the fresh meat within, “Just as promised.”

Buck sniffed at the meat, taking a bite after deciding it was up to their standards.

“Maybe Isaac is right,” the forgemaster chuckled as he tenderly pet its head, “I am spoiling you quite a bit, aren’t I?”

The unicorn scarfed down the last of the meat, pressing their snout to Hector’s face as if to say ‘You are, but I’m not opposed to it.’

He smiled and kissed his between the eyes, “I agree, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of spoiling. Now then, would you like to take a walk and-?”

“Well I’ll be…” a voice breathed behind him.

Hector yelped and whipped around in surprise, stomach sinking as he saw the Judge standing and staring in astonishment.

“That’s incredible,” he said in amazement, “It’s a unicorn, an honest to God unicorn.”

“That’s… well…” Hector stuttered, trying to think of a lie to cover up the truth (a deformed horse he happened to find? Livestock from a foreign land?).

“How did you tame it?” he asked, cautiously stepping closer.

“We… didn’t.” Hector decided on, “We happened upon it, and it just followed us.” he paused, “Well, Isaac did, he already had it when he came to me.”

“Fascinating,” he hummed, looking down at the bloodstained papers, “You know, I thought it’d have more of a… horses diet.”

“But it’s not a horse, is it?” he retorted.

The Judge considered it, “No, I suppose not.” he paused, an uncomfortable silence settling in the air as he did, “I appreciate you hiding it.”

“You… you do?” Hector blinked.

“Yes, I’d imagine a mythical beast walking into our square would cause quite an uproar, and I’m afraid I’m not a fan of disorder in my town.” he smiled, “Don’t you agree order is important?”

“Of course,” Hector agreed uneasily, “There’s order and routine to everything in nature, to disrupt that has consequences.”

“I’m glad we’re on the same page.” he nodded, turning to leave, “Does it have a name?”

“Bucephalus,” he replied, “After Alexander the Great’s own steed.”

The Judge nodded once more, and continued on his way without another word.

Hector watched him disappear down the forest path with a looming sense of discontentment. Buck whinnied, resting their head on his shoulder.

“I know,” he shushed as he scratched their ear, “I have a bad feeling about that man too…”

* * *

“So we found eighteen symbols of Saturn, and eighteen Sulfur crosses- oh, hello Hector.” Sypha greeted as he joined them at the tavern table, “But I don’t know what the significance of that would be.” 

“I do,” Isaac says, “Two sets of eighteen makes thirty-six, does that mean anything to anyone?”

“That’s right,” Trevor gasps in realization, “The sum of all the numbers from one to thirty-six is six-hundred and sixty-six.”

“The Devil’s number.” Sypha murmurs, “They’re crafting some sort of ritual, perhaps a summoning.

As Hunter and Speaker bounce ideas back and forth, Isaac takes notice of Hector's withdrawn state, the familiar way he stares at his lap with an empty gaze when something is bothering him.

“Hector,” he says out of the blue, “I think I may have left something back outside the Judge’s home, will you come with me?”

The silver-haired forgemaster looked up and nodded, “Excuse us,” he tells the others as they walk outside.

The walk up the empty streets is silent at first until Hector looks to his lover with a smile, “You never forget things.”

“I don’t.” Isaac says.

“So why the walk then?” he asks, “Something on your mind.”

“I’m more worried about what's on yours.” he sighs, taking his hand in his, “Did something happen?”

“The Judge found me feeding Buck.” he explains, “He was astonished more than anything, as anyone seeing a unicorn would be…”

“But?” 

“But… I don’t know, something about him was off, like my instincts were screaming something is up with that man.” he says, looking behind himself as if to check no one’s there.

Isaac cocks a brow, “You think he might be involved with the cult?” 

“I don’t think it’s that, and to be honest…” he swallows, “I don’t know if I can trust myself anymore… not after everything else I’ve been wrong about.”

Isaac looks at him for a moment, then to the starry sky, “Did I ever tell you what it was like when the magician cast his spell on me?”

Hector looks to him in surprise, “You… you told me it gave you night terrors for weeks.”

“Still does,” he continues, “It felt like thorns wrapping around my very soul, embedding themselves and draining my very essence like leeches. There were thousands of voices calling me to join them as well, to give in and let all of my troubles and heartache disappear. Part of me… part of me wanted to heed that call, to join the hive mind that sang to me like the most soothing music I’ve ever heard.”

“That’s awful…” he breathed, “How did you break free?”

“It was hard,” he admits, “But I thought of all I had fought for, everything I still was fighting for, because in the end as much as I wish I had never experienced the cruelty I had, it was what helped me move forward and made who I was. There were people I wanted to see again, people who made me value life. The shopkeeper, the Captain, Miranda,” he looks at him, smiling and squeezing his hand gently, “And of course you.”

Hector quickly looked away, trying to hide his flustered blush, “You’re too much Isaac.” he laughs half-heartedly.

“Perhaps,” he chuckles, “Of course, I had been frightened of the part of me that wanted to join the Legion. I never knew it had even existed until then, and it made me terribly angry to think that I hadn’t noticed it until then. I had been angry with myself before that though, thinking about every mistake I made and every thing I could have done differently.”

“How did you overcome it?” he asks eagerly.

Isaac shrugs, “You don’t, but it gets quieter the more you move on. That’s all you can do really.”

Hector looks unsure of the answer, staring at the ground.

“You might be wrong about the Judge,” Isaac says, “But you may also be right, so I think your suspicions are worth checking out.”

“I… I suppose it is good to be thorough, isn’t it?” he says at last, a more hopeful glint in his eyes. Isaac smiled and nodded, kissing him chastly, “Ready to go back?”

“You can go,” he says, “I’d like to have some more fresh air, if that’s alright with you.”

“Of course.” Isaac says, pressing one last kiss to his lips before heading back to the inn. Hector watched him, before leaning against the entrance of an alley and letting out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. He felt exhausted, as if the bout of anxiety had left him utterly worn out. God, how he wished he had a dog or something to pet, it was always much easier to come back down to earth when you ran your fingers through soft fur. Oh well, at the there was-

A sickening crack echoed through the empty streets.

The next thing Hector knew he was on the ground, ears ringing incessantly. Distantly, he was aware of the sensation of something warm and wet dripping down the side of his head, soaking his hair. There were stars flashing across his vision, he knew he was being moved but couldn’t tell which way.

Then it went black.


	4. Last Call

“Hey, it's the last call.” the innkeeper says to Isaac, picking up his empty mug, “If you want something else, now would be the time.”

“No thank you,” Isaac shook his head, never tearing his gaze from the door, “I’m waiting for someone.”

“Alright, but I’m locking up at midnight.” he says as he walks away, “Hope your friend makes it before then.”

The forgemaster said nothing, silently standing and walking out the door.

* * *

“Any idea what they could be trying to accomplish?” Trevor asked Miranda as she read the list of things they knew, of the symbols and the amount of them and even the locations.

“Hard to say…” she hummed in thought, holding her chin in her hand, “If we had a better idea of what was inside the Church, then maybe.”

“Isaac starts his research there tomorrow, maybe then we’ll get more information.” Sypha says, “It’s too bad we don’t have the Hold, I bet there’d be something in there that would help us.” 

“Unfortunately, it’s impossible to carry around a library in your pocket Sypha, but I agree.” he sighed, “You know what, maybe Alucard could actually help us with this. Is there a spell we can use to send a letter, or something?”

“Not that I know of,” the Speaker shrugged, “Miranda?”

“Don’t look here, I never needed to write letters to anyone.” she said, “Isaac has a distance mirror, though I’m not sure if it’s the type that can send messages.”

“Then I'll ask him,” he said as he went down to the tavern, only to find it empty.

Confused, he walked over to the innkeeper as he cleaned a table, “Hey, have you seen where my friend went?”

The man sighed, tossing his cleaning rag to the side like he was done with the world, “He left to find that other friend of yours. I’m locking up at midnight, so-”   
“Lock us out and I’ll break in the window.” Trevor says as he leaves the same way, “Thanks in advance.”

God damn it, when had his life become this complicated? When had all these people managed to sneak past his defenses? He was absolutely fine all on his lonesome, perfectly fine. He could be enjoying a nice big bed all to himself right now if he had kept it up.

But no, he had to let Sypha ruin all that because she had sex with him and held his hand in a way that just felt right and gives him butterflies in his stomach every time she smiles and-

“Damn it…” he mutters to himself, “I really am just a big softie, aren’t I?”

He continues walking, searching every alley and path until he finds Isaac at the edge of the woods, “There you are!” he huffs, “Where the Hell have you and Hector been?”

“Well I’m not sure what Hector’s been up to,” he sighs, “But I’ve been trying to find him and can’t find a trace of him anywhere.”

“Really?” he blinks, glancing around, “Maybe he’s just out for a walk?”

“No,” Isaac replies firmly, “I know Hector, he doesn’t like being away from Miranda and I for too long, he’s too worried about his own safety to do that.”

“I see…” he pursed his lips, “Perhaps we can ask the Judge.”

The forgemaster glanced towards the town hall, “You know, Hector was telling me he was suspicious of the Judge.”

“Really now?” he said, “Any reason why?”

“I don’t know, he didn’t go into specifics, just that he had a bad feeling about the man.” he said as he began towards the building.

“Perhaps the Judge heard and didn’t take kindly to it.” he suggests as they start on the way there.

* * *

“You know, I wish he’d give me some warning before he takes off.” Sypha sighed as she stared out the window.

“He’s a travelling soul, you can’t break those habits easily.” Miranda says, taking a sip from her canteen, “Actually you know what, perhaps with a leash you could. Doesn’t hurt to try.”

“That might actually not be a bad idea.” she smiles lightly and she turns to her, “Do Hector and Isaac ever drive you crazy?”

“Sweetie, if I wasn’t already insane they’d drive me there.” she laughs, “They’re so unaware of themselves it makes me want to tear my hair out and plug it in my ears. Ah, but I suppose it is sad at the same time.”

“Sad?” she asks as she sits by her side on the bed.

Miranda nods, “Take Hector for example. The man has lived most of his life in isolation insisting he loathes attention from fellow humans, yet I can’t count the time he’s fallen asleep with his head in my lap. I swear I’ve never met anyone more touch starved than him.”

“That is sad…” she says, squinting her eyes as she tries to imagine a life without human touch. 

“And Isaac? He’s a little less obvious. You wanna know what happened our first week out on the road? He went out and found a dead bird.”

“A dead bird?” she echoes in confusion.

“For Hector to resurrect as a pet,” Miranda clarifies, “Said it would calm him and might even stop him from waking us with his night terrors. He always does that, disguising kindness as a means to an end, but I saw it in his eyes the way he looks at Hector. Of course I practically had to spell out his own feelings for him before he made the first move.”

“That seems to be an ongoing theme with the men in our lives.” she laments, “The first night I told Trevor I loved him, he had the balls to check me for a fever.”

Miranda burst out laughing, “HA! That might just be the funniest thing I heard all day, Speaker!” she sighs as her laughter trails off, “Now, let’s see if we can get that distance mirror working without them, hm?”

* * *

Fortunately, the lights are still on by the time they reach the Judge’s home. Trevor knocks twice, stepping back as they wait for an answer. There’s a few clicks, then at last the door opens, “Trevor?” he says, “What are you doing here so late?”

“Pardon the disturbance,” the Belmont replies, “But our friend Hector has gone missing.”

“Ah yes, the silver haired one?” he recalls, looking to Isaac, “Perhaps he’s attending your… steed?”

“Already checked,” Isaac says, “Mind if we look inside?”

The Judge blinks, looking almost offended, “You think I’ve got something to do with it?”

“Could be you, could be the congregation, could be anyone in this town.” he replies cooly, “We’re just going down the list.”

“Right,” he nods, relaxing a bit, “In that case come right in, I’ve nothing to hide.”

“Thank you,” Trevor says as he steps to the side and lets him in, allowing them to look around the room. There’s nothing out of the ordinary, just a bunch of paperwork and trinkets and-

“What about that door?” Isaac asks, pointing to one that was partially covered by a cloth.

“It’s just a closet,” the Judge says, then quickly adds, “Ah, but you can hide a body in a closet, can you?” he chuckles, “One second please.”

Grabbing the key from his desk, he moves the curtain and unlocks the door, pushing it open.

“Are those… shoes?” Trevor asks in confusion. Shoes by themselves wouldn’t be of any issue, but shoes on pedestals that look like they’re child size?

“I keep them in case any families here fall on hard times,” he explains as he pulls the door shut, “Of course, I ask for them back once they get back on their feet, no pun intended.”

“I… see.” Isaac says, “Well, thank you for your time. Apologies for the inconvenience.”

“None taken.” he replies cheerily, as they walk back out, “I hope you find your friend.”

The walk back to the inn is occupied by tense silence for the most part, until Trevor speaks up, “Soooo… we both agree that it’s really weird to keep shoes on pedestals behind a locked door, right?” 

“Right,” Isaac says, “Unfortunately an odd choice of shoe placement doesn’t mean he’s behind Hector’s disappearance.”

“Unfortunately.” he agrees, “Should we check the Church, make sure the cult isn’t behind it?”

“I’m.. not sure.” he sighs, “The congregation has countless occult items, and I don’t know the building well. Even if they did take him, there’s no guaranteeing we’d find him before they could do something to him.”

“So we wait.” Trevor says, “Just keep buttering them up and hopefully we’ll find Hector then.”

Another silence follows, this time Isaac is the one who breaks it, “It’s my fault.”

“What?” he blinked.

“I knew better than to love him, I knew what the world does to those I love,” his voice trails off, “And I did it anyways…”

Shit shit shit, he wasn’t good at this, the whole reassuring people and giving advice and being a decent human thing.

“Well,” Trevor coughed awkwardly, “Listen, I get that it’s easy to blame yourself. Fact of the matter is that no matter how much you love someone, it doesn’t protect them. But that also means that it doesn’t matter if you were indifferent or hate their guts. Once the world decides someone is gonna suffer, it does it, and your love isn’t important enough to sway the universe’s decision making because life's a bitch like that.”

“... that's your reassurance?” Isaac half laughed, half scoffed, “‘Life is horrible and there’s nothing we can do about it?’”

“Alright well maybe I could have put it better, but am I wrong?” he asks as he waves a hand through the air, “Shitty things happen, and they’re gonna happen no matter what you do, so we might as well enjoy the time we have and the few things we can control, right?”

“I suppose,” Isaac concedes, “But I’m not going down without a fight, if the universe wants to take Hector from me, I’m going to fight tooth and nail.”

“I’m right by your side with that.” he smiles reassuringly, “Now let’s go see whether or not the barkeep kept the door open or if he’s losing a window.”

* * *

His head is throbbing, soothed only by the cold floor he lays on as he blinks away. Delicately, Hector raised his hand to the sore spot on his head, wincing as he felt gauze covering the large lump that was surely there.

In the darkness he can barely make out the shape of iron bars in front of him. Determined, he reaches out and shakes them as hard as he can. They’re rusted and old, but still sturdy.

“Damn it.” he mutters under his breath.

Suddenly the door slams open, the sudden brightness of the light outside the prison blinding him for a moment.

As he blinks, struggling to adjust, the outline of the figure in the door comes into focus. He can’t believe it, or at least doesn’t want to, but the second he hears the voice he can no longer deny the identity of his captor.

“Good to see you, Hector.” Lenore smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun!!


	5. Trapped

“No,” Hector breathed in disbelief, “Nononononono, you can’t be, this isn’t-”

“Just so you know,” Lenore raised a hand, effectively cutting him off, “The monks here wanted to operate and remove your vocal chords so you wouldn’t scream for help. I advised them that you wouldn’t be stupid enough to try such a thing, would you?”

Hector said nothing as he stared at her, weary and unsure. 

“Good boy,” she smiled, pulling a leather leash and collar from her satchel, “Come now-”

“You left me.” he stated. It wasn’t an accusation or even an angry remark, just a fact of the matter.

Lenore frowned a bit, “I did, but you must understand I was in danger Hector, and in moments of stress pets don’t take priority. You’ve heard of people eating their beloved dogs in times of famine, haven’t you?”

“I’m not a dog.” Hector insisted, voice rising, “I’m not a dog!”

“No, you’re a human.” she remarked cheerily, clicking the collar around his neck on one swift move, “And I’m a vampire. Just because you’re my pet doesn’t mean I don’t love you any less, and now,” she held up the end of the leash, “We can be together without worry, as long as you help me with one itsy bitsy thing.”

“And if I don’t?” he challenged, glaring at her with all the hatred he could muster.

“My, someone’s gotten a bit feral hasn’t he?” she coos, “It’s to be expected with all your time out in the wild, but don’t worry,” her smile spread into a wicked smirk as she walked across the cell.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Hector gulped, pressing his back against the wall, trying desperately to scramble away as she closed the distance. She grabbed him by the wrist, pulling his hand up to her face holding it steady no matter how hard he struggled.

“Nothing a little discipline can’t fix.” she hummed as she grabbed his nail.

* * *

“Sir Mirror, please show me my wish.” Isaac recited the words by heart, watching as the shards swirled and came together. The image of Alucard working at a desk by candlelight came into view, much to Sypha’s joy and relief (after she had spent the time before he and Trevor returned unable to figure it out herself).

“Alucard!” she called, “Alucard, can you hear us?”

There was no response, not even a flinch to show that the dhampir had heard them.

“This mirror only shows visions it seems…” Isaac hummed in thought, “Perhaps I can ask it to connect to another mirror in the castle.”

“Give it a shot.” Trevor encouraged.

The forgemaster nodded, “Sir Mirror, please make it so we can communicate with Alucard.” he asked. The image shifted to one of pitched darkness, with only the sound of tinkling glass and soft banging.

“Is it working?” Sypha asks, squinting at it confused.

“I’m not sure.” he says, when suddenly they saw a crack of light as the other mirror’s container was opened, and Alucard’s face.

“Sypha?” the dhampir blinked, clearly surprised.

“Alucard! Thank goodness it worked!” she clapped, “Listen, there’s not much time. We’re in a town called Lindenfield with your father’s former forgemasters-”

“The forgemasters!?” Alucard gasped, his expression turning worried.

“Yes, but they’re on our side now so don’t worry.” she assured him, “Something bad is going on here, and we need your help to take care of it before it gets out of control.”

Alucard, still clearly baffled by all the sudden information, sputtered “I don’t, how? Why-?”

“Alucard,” she cut him off, “Just promise me you’ll rush over here.”

“I’m coming,” he said without hesitation, “But I’ll be bringing my new friends along.”

“Oh, new friends?” she smiled brightly, “I can’t wait to meet them!”

“I’ll see you soon, Sypha.” he smiled softly, and with that his image disappeared, the pieces of the mirror settling back into their box.

“Well, nothing to do now but wait.” the Belmont sighed, leaning against and sliding down the wall, “While we wait for the vampire bastard to get here, Isaac, you’ll go to the Church, try and get what you can out of them and please, don’t raise any alarms.”

Isaac nodded understandingly, tucking the container back into his suitcase and pulling out his prayer mat and walked to the farthest edge of the room, laying it in its proper direction as the others readied for bed.

It wasn’t often people occupied his thoughts during prayer, but this time his prayers were for no one but Hector, not even himself.

‘Please God, our lives have known enough cruelty…’ he prayed, ‘Protect Hector in any way you can, even if it is just the smallest mercy.’

* * *

He had done his best not to cry, but the tears overflowed and ran down his cheeks. His raw nail bed burning with hot, searing pain, sending his entire hand alight with stinging tingles.

“Now then, have we reached an agreement, or shall I move onto the next finger?” she asked, motioning to the blood running down his thumb.

“No…” he shook his head, “I’ll... do what you want just please, no more…”

She smiled softly, petting his head, “There there, I know it was hard for the both of us, but now it’s over and we can move onto more important things.” she said, snapping the leashed onto his collar and tugging gently, “Come boy.

Hector followed obediently, imagining all the ways he could kill her as they walked down the halls. There’s people in different rooms of the catacombs which he recognizes as the monks he had met previously.

“Where’s-?”

“Hush.” she commanded. There was a dark presence which grew stronger the further they went, leaving Hector dizzy by its overwhelming strength.

At last, she pushed open the final door. It was a large room, likely used to hold private events long ago. There was a staircase that likely led up to the main floor, but Hector’s focus wasn’t on escape at the moment.

Rather, he was distracted by the giant, glowing demon, held up by chains and nails on a large cross. It growled, low and rumbling, it’s many eyes focused on the forgemaster as long, tentacle-like growths from its head flashed bright colors.

Sala kneeled before the monster, like a worshipper to an idol, turning as he heard the door click open, “Ah, Hector.” he greeted much too calmly.

“What…” Hector swallowed as he was pulled closer to the demon, “What is this…?”

“The answer to our prayers,” the priest answered, tilting his head, “Have you ever heard of the Infinite Corridor?”

“Of course I-” Hector gasped, eyes widening in realization, “Don’t tell me you’re planning to open a portal here!”

“We are,” he replied casually, “Soon, Hell will open its doors to us, and our Lord Dracula will grant his wisdom to his most loyal followers.

“Oh my God, you truly are mad,” Hector glared, “I of all people here know how disastrous that would be, don’t you realize-” he was cut off by the collar tightening around his neck, choking him.

“We don’t care for your opinions on the matter Hector, what you’re here to do is help finalize the ritual that will pinpoint where the portal has to open for Dracula to make his return.” Lenore smiles, “And I highly recommended you to them for that.”

“But why capture me for that? Isaac and I were already working for you!” he protested.

Lenore scoffed, “Do you really think I’m that stupid, pet? I know you’re with the Belmont and his fuck buddy. Now listen,” she said lowly, “If you try to withhold information or lie about one single thing, there will have to be consequences. Are we clear?”

He looks away, unable to meet her eyes and he shamefully mutters, “Y-Yes…”

“Good.” she smiles, attaching the leash to the wall, “You’ll have food and the collected research in a few moments.” she says, walking back to the catacombs, “Oh, and one more thing. You’ll have to write a letter explaining your disappearance to your friends. Don’t try anything funny.”

With that, she shuts the door behind her, leaving the humans alone.

“Listen,” Hector whispers, desperately turning to Sala, “I don’t know what she told you but don’t believe a word she says, she could care less about Dracula or whatever it is you're after. You’re going to get people killed Sala, your own men are going to die by your hand if you keep this up!”

The priest tilted his head at him as if he was speaking another language, “Why would she do that? She is a vampire, she has ascended her mortality the same way as our Saints do, merely in the opposite direction.” he took a quill, inkwell, and paper from his pocket, placing it on the ground before heading up the stairs without another word.

“God damn it…” he whimpers, falling to his knees and hiding his face in his hands.

He stares at the paper through his fingers, desperately trying to think of a way to alert his friends without tipping off Lenore or the monks.

There’s a small scurrying noise off to his left as a rat runs along the edge of the wall, sniffing for food. Hector sighs, now that he’s alone he just now notices how it reeks of old blood and rodent piss-

Wait a second, that’s it!

As Hector picks up the paper, he thanks whatever higher power there may be for the small mercy in this shitshow that was his predicament.


	6. Understanding

The night was unbearably long.

Though the meal of bread and meat was welcomed, it was tainted by the mere fact it was prison food. Lenore had left him with stacks of books and papers when she had come for his letter (hopefully his friends could figure out his cry for help), the research containing nearly incomprehensible with the insane ramblings from whomever created it. But hidden within the insanity was knowledge if one knew what they were looking for. Perhaps the old saying was right, perhaps madness and genius did go hand in hand.

The only problem was, how would he get the demon to do what was required? It wasn’t like his pets, and even if it was forged, he wasn’t the one who forged it. Was it even forged in the first place?

“Maybe if…” he starts, grabbing the coins he was gifted by Lenore to work with. He wasn’t quite sure if this would work, imparting some of his magic to a creature someone else had forged and/or summoned, but why wouldn’t it? If he created a link, then this creature could and should at least be aware of his will.

Focusing, he summoned his magic from deep within his soul, like coaxing flames from a small fire.

Spark flew from the coins, before flaring and gathering into blue flames that shot across the room. The demon roared as they sank into its body, its eyes glowing with the same hue as it absorbed them, before slumping back over.

Hector waited a moment, holding his breath as he tried to feel for a link. He sighed in defeat as it eluded him, hanging his head in defeat. Damn, well that was a waste of time.

_ “I wouldn’t say that.” _

Hector yelped in surprise at the voice, which he could only describe as being like smoke. You knew it was there, you knew what it meant, but it was something that slipped out of and beyond your grasp.

His eyes searched the room frantically, but it was only him and…

He stared at the demon in disbelief, struggling to find words, “You…?”

“ _ You needn’t talk.”  _ the demon said,  _ “You gave me a piece of your magic, and with that small piece I have attuned myself to your very mindspace. Simply direct a thought to me, and I will hear it.” _

Hector stared at, debating whether this was actually happening or if he had truly gone toys in the attic mad.

“So-” he stopped, ‘So you can hear me thinking this right now?’

_ “Yes.” _ it replied,  _ “And I know what you want from me. I may not be able to communicate with them, but I know what the vampire and human plotted.” _

‘What even are you?’ he asked (this was much harder than he expected, thinking but not not speaking his questions).

The creature let out a low rumble as if it was humming in thought,  _ “Imagine if you will, that all of reality is a book. Each page is a universe, and each word is something that occupies this universe. You, for example, are a word. You may be repeated on other pages, but on this one page you hold a different meaning than on the others. The same with the trees and birds and bees.” _

‘I don’t know if that’s fascinating or terrifying…’ Hector thought, suddenly overcome by existentialism.

_ “Now, so matter how tightly a book is closed, there is always a space between the pages, even at an atomic level there is space. That is the space I occupy, human.” _

He reflected on it for a moment, ‘So, Hell is a space between universes?’

_ “You misunderstand, I am not from Hell at all, that realm is simply a facet of your universe. The realm I am from is beyond this one, in fact it can hardly even be called one. It’s more like the lack of a realm.” _

‘But then…’ he groaned, struggling to get his thoughts in order, ‘How were you even summoned?’

_ “I was trapped, not summoned”  _ the creature growled,  _ “Imagine in the book of reality, there are holes in the pages. This is how my species and others traverse one space to the next. Normally, we would be just a flicker, something out of the corner of your eye that you give no mind to. But long ago, I was trapped by your species. Since then I’ve changed hands many times, until now.” _

‘So, you just want to go home then?’ Hector smiled, ‘Good! I’ll help you’

_ “The only way for you to help me would be to complete the ritual,”  _ it hisses,  _ “Once Dracula is summoned, I will be free from the binds of this realm, and can return to where I belong.” _

The forgemaster’s stomach sank, ‘But, they’re going to kill people, Dracula will try to end the world if he’s brought back and he very might well succeed!’

_ “I don’t care for that. All I desire is freedom, and if the completing of this ritual is what is required to obtain it then it shall happen. I will tell you how to do it.” _

Hector leaned against the wall, covering his face with his hands, “Why… why me…?’

_ “The humans who trapped me do not have the type of magic you do.”  _ it shifts, as if trying to find a more comfortable position,  _ “And they understand that, they need you to do what they cannot.” _

‘And if I refuse?’

_ “I could care less if you cooperate with them. If it is not you, then another will come along and grant me my freedom. The concept of time is irrelevant to me, for I have been beyond it. However, the vampire seems keen on you doing what you were asked. So human, what part will you play? Will you die for your pride, or will you take part in the inevitable?” _

He looked down at the various books and notes that surrounded him.

“Hector!”

He gasped and flinched as the door to the catacombs opened, in walking his captor, “Did you make any progress, Hector?” she asked with an all too kind smile, the type that barely hid impatience.

He sighed, making his choice with a sickening feeling of doom, “I… I did.” he motioned to the books, “All the pieces of the puzzle were here, they just needed putting together. Once I do that, the final phase can commence.”

“Wonderful!” she claps her hands, “I knew you could do it, Hector!”

He didn’t even acknowledge her gratitude. Instead, he stared into the many eyes of the beast before him as a pit of shame and horror brewed in his gut. He may not have the beast’s understanding or experience of the cosmos, but one thing he could say for sure was that things certainly weren’t going to end well on this page of the book.

“We will begin tomorrow night.” she announces to him as she takes his leash. Before she could tug on it, he got up and walked to her side.

“Good boy,” she praised, leading him back to his cell.

He thought for a moment, the long trip back giving him time to do so, “Why did you find me…?”

“Because I love you Hector.” she said, “You of all people understand the love we have for pets, even the working ones.”

“But I’m not a pet,” he argues, “Please Lenore, I’m a person dammit, just find someone else to play your sick games with and leave me be!”

She turned to him, her eyes dangerously narrowed but still wearing the same condescending smile, “Hector dear, I’ve already become fond of you. You remember the time we spent together, right? The kitten I gave you, the books and cot as well. I stood up for you when no one else did because I love you dearly Hector.”

“Then let me go,” he demands.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that,” she cooed, “I’ve taken responsibility as your master, and it’s not something I take lightly.”

Dear God, she truly thought of him as a pet. This wasn’t like with Carmilla or Dracula, no, even they understood he was his own being with agency. This was entirely different, he could plead and try to explain his sentience to her over and over and over but it was no more than a dog barking at its owner as they joked about how the dog thought it could talk.

“Here we are,” she says as she pushes him back into his cell, nearly causing him to fall to the floor if he hadn’t caught himself, “Be good pet, I love you.” she smiled, lighting a lantern to provide him the barest of light as she shut the door behind him.

Hector slouched against the wall, lip wobbling as he felt tears pricking at his eyes, ‘... can you still hear me?’

_ “Yes.” _

‘That place you’re from, do you have family there? Are there things you miss?’

A moment passed with no response,  _ “I do not feel what your species feels, if that is what you are asking. Love and family do not exist where I’m from. However… there was a sense of belonging, if that is what you mean, and I do wish to return to that space. To be apart from it causes me great pain. I do not think it is the type of yearning you feel, but I might be wrong. Perhaps the time I have spent here has changed my very being.” _

‘I can understand that…’ he sighed, staring up at the ceiling, ‘I miss the place I belong to as well...’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> listen, the fools put a cosmic horror like that with no explanation in the plot this season and expected me not to come up with a story for it? i'm coming for your fucking jobs, writers.


	7. Turning Point

Trevor sighed as he woke, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he sat up. His eyes first fell on Isaac, sleeping next to him with one arm stretched over the empty bedroll next to him. The sight caused a pang of sadness for the other man, unable to imagine the pain of losing a beloved partner and having no idea what had happened to them.

Though losing Sypha was his greatest fear, he’s unsure of what he’d actually do if anything were to happen to her.

The thought caused him to stand and walk slowly, heel to toe across the small room to where Sypha slept soundly on the bed. Her eyelids fluttered gently, the softest of snores escaping her open mouth as she slumbered away in her half curled position. Ever so carefully, he brushed his knuckles down her cheek, just barely touching her skin. He watched her for a few more moments, before grabbing his clothes and dressing himself, heading down the stairs as quietly as he could...

As soon as Trevor’s footsteps were far away enough, Isaac sat up. He hadn’t been able to sleep a wink, not when Hector was in the Church. But there was a small bit of doubt that he might not be there, that maybe they were looking at the wrong things. For all he knew, the Judge might not be innocent in this, they had only explored the office, not his personal quarters.

He felt nauseous at the thought of Hector being held captive, especially after what the man had already been through. Every time he shut his eyes he saw the man broken, helpless, crying to himself as he wondered if Isaac was ever going to find him.

Sighing, he reached over and pulled Hector’s bag to him, untying the strings and pulling out a green scarf. He held it close, breathing its scent deeply. If he focused, he could smell just the barest smell of herbs and earth, scents that constantly clung to Hector due to his time spent among nature.

It stirred up a memory, one of Isaac teaching him how to wrap a turban as they passed through a heat wave. He could remember every fine detail, the way his heart jumped as his fingers barely brushed Hector’s skin, the freckles that dotted his cheeks and had grown darker from their time in the sun, the slightest bit of a smile on his lips...

It’s then he decides to visit the Church a little earlier than planned.

* * *

A man debates the butcher over the price of beef. A kid runs circles around all the adults, laughing as they shake their fist at him. The baker is hard at work, checking on the sweet buns Trevor had ordered as they bake in the oven.

The old Trevor would have bartered down the price, arguing the wait time was ridiculous. The Trevor that waited outside the stall, leaning against its wall understood he had come rather early in the morning, and waited patiently, if only to see the look on Sypha’s face as he surprised her with the treat. He doesn’t want the memory to be tainted with the fact he had made a fuss for them (Sypha would have burned him to a crisp if she found out).

So he waited and watched the townsfolk go about their business, until he saw two young people whose faces stuck out in the crowd. Their clothes were Asian in style, though he didn’t know enough about the countries there to discern what part they were from exactly. Their skin was dark, hair styled in a way that definitely wasn’t local.

The man turned to him and they locked eyes. Trevor looked away quickly, hoping the man wouldn’t- oh God, he was walking over, dear Lord in heaven why was he walking over?

“Excuse me?” the man said in a thick accent, “Are you the Belmont?”

The question catches him so off guard, he merely blinks dumbly at the man until he finds his words, “Um… depends on who's asking.”

The man gasped excitedly, quickly waving over the woman, “Sumi! It’s the Belmont!”

A look of horror passed over Trevor’s face, “Hey wait, keep it down you-!”

“Oh my God, is it really you?” the woman squealed as she ran over, sharing the same starstruck look as the man, “Is it true you punched Dracula in the face?”

“Um, well-”

“Can you really hit a target with your throwing knives without even looking where you’re throwing?” the man cut in.

“First of all, who-?”

“Did you really whip out a man’s eyeball with your whip? Was it really still intact? Did you really slice off a man’s finger?”

Trevor looked between the two helplessly as they bombarded him with questions, drowning him in a sea of confusion.   
  
“Hey you two!” a familiar voice cut in, “Give him his space, he’s not that quick.”

The two people quickly stepped aside sheepishly, revealing the blonde dhampir standing behind them.

Trevor immediately smiled brightly as his old friend walked up to him, “It’s been a while fangs… you look like shit.”

“You’re one to talk, you living incarnation of tavern piss.” he retorted without missing a beat. The two glared at each other for a few long seconds, before dissolving into a fit of giggles more suited for teenage boys rather than the saviors of humanity.

“Anyways,” Trevor sighs as his laughter trails off, “What’s with the kids?”

“Hey, we’re not kids!” the young man protested, “I’m eighteen!”

Trevor looked at him for a few moments, before turning back to Alucard, “Like I asked, what’s with the kids?” 

“They came to study under me in hopes expanding their vampire hunting knowledge,” Alucard explains, “I brought them because I’m confident that not only can they help us, but perhaps they can learn a little from this expedition.”

“Ah, so it’s a field trip then?” he smiles, turning to the young hunters, “First lesson from the master hunter? Forget whatever this guy has taught you. He doesn’t know it, but he’s dumber than a bag of rocks. Don’t tell him I said that though.”

“I’m literally standing right here you deft, dog fucking bastard.” the dhampir scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Did you hear that?” Trevor said, putting a hand up to his ear, “I do believe that was the sound of a gargoyle’s fart on the wind.”

His snickering was cut short by the dhampir putting him in a headlock, “Anyways Trevor,” Alucard said as if there wasn’t a man struggling in his arms, “This is Sumi and Taka.”

“Pleasure to meet you!” Taka beamed as he bowed, Sumi quickly followed suit.

“Pleasure is mine.” Trevor coughed and he struggled to pull Alucard’s arm off his neck, “Would you kindly let me go now?”

“Depends.” he shrugs, “Are you going to buy me and my friends breakfast?”

Trevor’s eyes widened in horror, as if he had been threatened with torture, “You wouldn’t hit a poor defenseless man in his coin purse, would you?”

“Then I guess I’m dragging you back to the inn like this.” he smirked, dragging him a few steps.

“FINE, FINE!” he conceded as Alucard finally let him wrestle out of his hold, “I’ll get you breakfast, you wallet leeches!”

As the Belmont stomped back to the stall, he looked back to the confused students, “See? Told you I could get us a free breakfast.”

“I’m pretty sure I just watched you extort a man,” Sumi said, “Which was frankly a really cool extortion.”

“Impressive indeed.” Taka agreed.

* * *

The jail door creaked open, then shut. The small lantern that hung on the wall was lit. The stool in the corner squealed as it was dragged up to the bars of his cell.

“I know you’re awake.” Lenore says, “I can hear your little heart beating like a frightened weasel.”

Hector sighed, pushing himself up and off the meager blanket he was given as a bed. As if sensing the ache in his joints, she quickly assured “Don’t worry, once we get out of this town I’ll find us a nice mansion to settle down in. I’ll make sure it has a study so you can have plenty of room for books and such. Won’t that be nice?”

“Lovely…” he murmurs, unable to hide the mirth in his voice.

Lenore tilted her head, watching him with a thoughtful look, “... you’d like to have Isaac with you, wouldn’t you?”

Hector’s eyes went wide, tensing as he sat straight up at the name, “I, I don’t know what you’re-”

“Please Hector, don’t act coy.” she giggles, “I smelt him all over you when I had you dragged here.”

“Oh…” is all he can think to say.

“Just imagine it, a playmate for my little pet, the two of you spending all day in each other’s arms in your cute little library.” she hums, “That does sound rather cute.”

“Then why don’t you capture him too?” Hector posed eagerly.

Lenore smirked as she took a canteen from her cloak, “You think I’m stupid, don’t you?” she asks as she uncaps it, the heavy scent of blood filling the small room, “To take Isaac under my care would be like trying to domesticate a wild tiger. He’d easily outwit and kill me.” she paused to take a large sip of blood, pausing for breath before resuming, “I know not to take on more than I can. That’s why you’re my pet Hector, it’s because you’re weak. You’re easily tamed and you love being taken care of, don’t you?”

Hector glared at her before turning away, biting his tongue.

“Thought so.” she smiles, “Don’t feel bad Hector, it’s just the way you are, same as any dog or cat or livestock. You’re conditioned to be this way, that’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

Nausea rose in his stomach at the words, words he had told himself too many times to count.

“Isaac and the witch only put up with you because you make them feel less broken than they are because let’s be honest, you’re probably the most pathetic man they know.” she chuckles, “Eventually they’ll decide you’re more trouble than you’re worth and move on, because they have each other.”

He can’t help the warm tears that drip down his face, clutching at the sides of his head as he repeats a mantra of denial at her vile words, at the little voice in his head that says she’s right, he’s a broken man too fragile and abnormal for the world, that if he had just stayed in isolation and hadn’t been desperate for the chance of belonging when the other forgemaster was mentioned, he’d still be alone with his pets in a comfortable life. It was all his own damn fault.

“Don’t worry,” she coos, reaching through the bars to pet his head, “At least you have me.”

As she retracts her hand and turns to leave, she hears the barest sound of a small “Why?”

“Pardon?” she turned back around.

“Why are you helping them? The Church, I mean.” he asks, meeting her gaze with genuine curiosity.

She shrugged and held up the canteen, “Why not? They practically worship me and give me all the free blood I need. It’s a fair trade, I let them borrow my pet for their evil little plan, and I have a place to get back on my feet in the meanwhile.”

“You could just lie to them, you know.” he points out, “You could have given them any old ritual and leave before they could ever tell the difference. People are going to die Lenore, even if they just are animals to you, don’t you feel at least a little bit bad about their demise? The slightest bit of pity?”

“...Perhaps.” she concedes, “It will be a little sad, all those cute little kids and old ladies getting their souls ripped from their bodies. But I have myself and you to take care of, and that’s most important.”

“Lucky me I guess…” he sighs.

“If it makes you feel any better, there are plenty of bad people here that will be killed too,” she beams much too cheerily, listing off of her fingers, “Like the baker who’s cheating on his wife with the florist’s daughter, the blacksmith who beats his kids, the Judge who murders all those poor kids-”

“Wait,” he gasps, “What?”

“The Judge kills children.” she repeats plainly, “He has this weird spike pit that he covers up under an apple tree and then tells them to go pick apples off of it. Pretty weird way to do it, but to each his own I suppose.”

He didn’t pay attention to the last part, nor did he watch as she left the jail. 

He had been right. Even if it had been a vague feeling, he had been right about the Judge, which meant what Isaac had said was true. He could still trust himself.

So he mentally called to the only one who could hear him, ‘Are you listening, beast?’

_ “Always.”  _ it responded.

‘Good, because I have a plan.’


	8. Briefing

Isaac made his way determinedly towards the Church, his face betraying no trace of his inner turmoil. As he reached the entrance, the two guards stepped aside and opened the rickety doors without so much as a word or even a look in his direction. Isaac spared them only a glance, having no time to decipher the weird behaviors of the mad men.

“Isaac.” Sala greeted, standing in the aisle of the Church expectantly, “You’re early.”

“For good reason,” he replies, “Hector is missing.”

“And you suspect I have something to do with it?” he asks, eyes widening slightly as if surprised (how the Hell was that even possible?).

“You asked me to treat you like a madman,” he reminds him firmly, “When my friend suddenly disappears without a trace, I go to the man who has the motive to do so.”

He can feel every gaze in the room on him, eyes searching him as if demanding to know what the Hell this man was doing accusing the man who hired him.

“Fair enough.” the priest nodded, “But I’m afraid you’re wrong about one thing.”

Isaac cocked a brow, “And that would be...?”

“That he disappeared without a trace.” he said, pulling a letter from out of his sleeve, “He said to give this to you when you came in.”

Isaac’s expression quickly turned confused, glancing between him and the letter, “He was here?”

“He was quite beside himself about something, frantic even. I asked if he wanted to sit and talk, but he kept insisting I give you this, and when I finally agreed he left without another word.” he explains, holding out the letter. With a hesitant hand Isaac took it, carefully unfolding the paper and reading it.

_ Isaac, _

_ I’m so sorry. I did my best to live among you and the others, and to help with the Church, I truly have, but it is too overwhelming for me. The blame is entirely on myself and my failure in trying to deny the fact I’ve lived in isolation too long to be comfortable around other humans, finding more belonging in the demons I summon than them, and between everything that’s happened with Dracula, Carmilla, and Lenore that I am unable to find any sense of peace within myself, be it here or anywhere else. If it is any consolation, I am more than grateful for everything you’ve done to help me and for all the time we spent together. I do not regret a moment of it. I am thankful to Miranda as well, however bizarre of a woman she may be. I ask that you understand, for your own sake if not mine though there is no hurry to do so now that I’m gone. _

_ With all my love, _

_ Hector _

“I… see.” he says after a tense silence, “Thank you for giving this to me. Now, about the job I am going to undertake?”

“Ah, of course.” Sala hummed, walking to the altar and picking up the stack of books atop it, “These are some books we need translated.”

Isaac took one from the top, flipping through the pages, “These books… are they not of occult origin?”

“Are they?” Sala asks, in what sounded almost like genuine confusion.

“Do you still want them translated,” he continued, “Or would opening your ears to such things offend you?”

“As I said Isaac, I am not afraid to seek knowledge in unusual places.” the priest said, “The Church has burned its own feet by banning such literature. The new generations of clergymen are ignorant to what they protect the people from now, and in their confusion they prosecute the wrong people.”

“Such as Dracula’s wife.” Isaac says thoughtfully, tucking the letter into his shirt, “I can at least respect a man of logic.”

“Is that to say you didn’t respect me before?” Sala inquires.

“Maybe.” he says with a coy smile, taking the books and leaving without another word.

As he heads back to the inn, he notices clergymen everywhere. None of them follow him directly, or even glance his way, but he suspects it was more than coincidence that they happened to show up on the same path as him.

“They could have at least been more subtle about it.” he murmurs to himself as he continues on his way.

* * *

“... and now, here we are.” Trevor concludes to Alucard and his friends, who sat in a half circle alongside Sypha and Miranda, “With a weird town, and even weirder Church who's trying to summon something but we don’t know what, and a missing forgemaster.”

“That is very concerning.” Alucard nods, “I can see why you’d need my help.”

“If I may ask,” Taka cut in, “What is a forgemaster anyways? Why are they so dangerous?”

“A forgemaster, my dear,” Miranda starts as she fills her pipe with herbs, “Is something very unique. We are able to feel channels of energies, and through them access magic that is beyond the reach of normal magicians. We use our magic to open channels to Hell itself, and take a soul to which we place in a physical vessel. Corpses are the easiest, but more experienced forgemasters can do it with other vessels as well.”

Both Sumi and Taka’s eyes widened at the explanation, the former stuttering out “So, so you create demons?”

“We don’t create them, that’s all Hell’s doing, with the eternal torture and all that stuff that changes a mortal soul to an immortal one.” she waves a hand through the air absentmindedly, “We simply put them on Earth through, oh what’s the word? …artificial means, rather than the natural way.”

“Correct.” comes an agreement from the stairwell, everyone turning as Isaac walked into the room, “But we can reflect on that another time.”

“Are those books from the cult?” Sypha asks eagerly.

He nodded, “Yes, and I was wondering if you could give me your thoughts on the content.”

“Of course!” she says as she took the book from the top and flipped through it, her confident expression quickly turning to one of confusion.

“What is it?” Trevor asks.

“This is all just… nonsense.” she squints at the text, “It’s like if a toddler tried to make a book on the occult. Just, random symbols with no rhyme or reason to where they’re placed or what they’re for.”

“Maybe they don’t know what they’re doing?” Alucard suggests.

“Or maybe they’re trying to throw us off track.” Sumi chimes in.

“That was my suspicion as well,” Isaac sighs, gaze shifting to the window, “And that’s not all we have to be worried about.”

Trevor turned to the window, looking down and out of it, muttering “Shit, we’re being watched now?”

“This all took a very quick and worrisome turn,” Alucard says as he joins him by his side and follows his gaze, “Those might be the most buff monks I’ve ever seen.”

“They might not even be monks at all,” the Belmont suggests, “But I guess we won’t know until we have a little talk with them.”

Alucard rolled his eyes at that, “Looking to pick another fight, Belmont?”

“I’m a simple man with simple pleasures,” he chuckles, “So that means you’re not gonna help me out?”

“I never said that.” he smirks, “Let’s go stir up some trouble now, shall we?”


	9. Revelations

“Are they still following us?”

“Yup.”

Trevor and Alucard kept their eyes ahead, giving no hint to their stalkers that they were aware. The dhampirs ears picked up on every step behind them, making sure they were still trailing behind as they turned into an alleyway.

“Now?” Trevor asked.

“Almost.” he hummed, sounding way too eager for this. After months of nothing but training spars, he was ready for a real fight.

“Alright,” he says as they reach a secluded section, both turning on their heels to face their attackers, “Let’s do this.”

The first man lunged for them and the duo acted quickly.

Trevor jumped back, hopping on his feet like a fox ready to pounce as he raised his fists, landing a hit to the man’s throat. The larger (monk? thug?) man went for Alucard, shedding his cloak to reveal bare, ripped arms that certainly didn’t get that way from flipping Bible pages. Alucard let him strike first, dodging punch after punch with a shit-eating grin, taunting “Come on, is that the best you’ve got!?”

A voice in the back of his head told him to knock the man out cold and stop the fight here, but there was a primal urge to step back and let the man get up, to keep the fight going. After all, what was the harm in a little fun?

Trevor seemed to have the same idea as he waited for the coughing man to get back up to his feet, holding a hand to his throat while the other drew a knife.

“Oh, that’s an assassin stance!” the Belmont observed gleefully, dodging each swipe of the blade. He landed a kick to the man’s gut, and as he doubled over Trevor grabbed his head and smashed it against the wall, smirking triumphantly as he watched him slump to the floor.

With that part settled, Alucard suddenly grabbed the larger man by the arm as he swung at him, quickly turning and pulling him over his shoulder, causing the man to flip over onto his back, head banging against the ground and knocking him out. 

The soldier and hunter stepped back, taking in the sight of a battle one.

“So…” Trevor hummed, “Which one are we taking back to the town hall?”

“Hm. Well the big ones usually don’t handle pain well, right?” he asked, pointing at said man.

“Yeah, they usually bulk up to hide the fact that they pass out when they get a splinter.” he chuckled, walking out of the alley, “Righty then, onwards we go.”

Alucard crossed his arms, arching a brow, “You’re going to make me carry him by himself?”

“Come on, I’ve seen you lift boulders bigger than him. Just because you’ve skipped out on some demon hunting don’t mean all that vampire strength is gone!” Trevor scoffed, waving a hand through the air, “Let’s get to it, your highness.”

The dhampir rolled his eyes, grunting as he lifted the man onto his back and dragged him along, “You know, Sypha was right about you.”

Trevor’s smug grin fell from his face, “Right about what?”

“I’m not telling you.” he said, sticking his tongue out and walking ahead.

“Wait, Alucard, what did she tell you? Alucard! Get back here you prick!”

* * *

Taka and Sumi shifted uneasily as they sat on the bed, watching Isaac do his prayer. They both had so many questions, but were unsure whether or not now was the right time to ask.

“What is the bow for?” Isaac asked out of the blue, taking the both of them by surprise. After a moment of silence, he repeats, “The bow, what is it for when you don’t carry arrows?”

“Oh!” Taka said as he realized the question was for him, “I use magic for arrows. Alucard taught me how.”

“Interesting.” he said, and another silence fell over them (thought a little less tense this time).

“'Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah.” Isaac finished his prayer and began to fold his prayer mat, when suddenly Taka blurted out “How do you become a forgemaster?”

Isaac looked back at the two young people, who stared at him expectantly, “Do you yearn to create demons of your own?” he inquires, arching a brow.

“Of course not! I mean, no offense.” Sumi stutters out.

“None taken.” he shrugs, placing his mat into his bag.

“We’re just… curious about what it’s like.” she says, fidgeting with her sleeve.

Isaac shuts his eyes in thought, choosing his words carefully, “Imagine there are rivers of energy all around us. Some connect to others, some are dead ends, and others lead into other realms, such as Hell. These channels exist for energy to travel, and souls, being made of pure energy, ride these rivers to their destination. Forgemasters allow souls which have turned into demons to paddle upstream, if you will, into a physical vessel.”

“Does it have to be a corpse?” Taka inquires, “Can it be something like a doll, or other material?”

“Personally I’ve never heard of that being so, but I would not rule it out of the realm of possibility.” he says, before continuing his previous explanation, “To allow these souls the energy for such a journey, forgemasters break off and offer a small piece of their soul, which at the same times binds the demon to their will.” 

“But… wouldn’t you eventually run out of soul?” he asks, “We only have one after all.”

“True, but the soul is a living thing.” he answers patiently, “Just like when you cut the limbs from a tree as long as the damage is not too great it can repair and replenish itself, provided the physical body is well cared for as well. After all, without a vessel a soul is just a bunch of condensed energy. The fact that humans have both spiritual and physical ties to our realm makes us unique among God’s creations, it is why he considers us his magnum opus. Does that make sense?”

The two students reflect upon his words in silence. For a few long moments, that’s all that fills the room, until Sumi suddenly gags, surprising the forgemaster.

“What’s that smell?” she asks, wrinkling her nose.

Isaac sniffs the air, then looks back to her confused, “What smell?”

“You can’t smell it?” Taka coughs, covering his nose and mouth, “It almost smells like piss.”

Sumi suddenly moves closer to Isaac, sniffing him.

“Excuse me,” he glares, clearly offended, “What are you doing?”

“It’s coming from you,” she says in surprise, “Or, rather your pocket I think?”

“I don’t have anything in my-” he stops, suddenly remembering, “Wait, I do have this.” he says, pulling Hector’s letter from his pocket. Judging by their scrunched faces and recoils, it’s the culprit.

“You seriously can’t smell it, even though you’re holding it!?” Taka asks, “What even is it?”

“I’ve spent my life around corpses and bodily fluids, I’ve gone noseblind to such things.” Isaac shrugs, “It’s a letter from… well, it’s his handwriting, and I can’t sense any magic used on it, but I doubt it’s from Hector.”

“The other forgemaster?” Sumi recalls, before suddenly gasping, “Taka! Do you remember how we used to write secret messages to each other in Cho’s palace?”

“Of course, we-” his eyes widen, “Oh yeah!”

With a snap of his fingers, Taka summons a flame to his hand, “May I see the letter?”

Isaac held the letter to his chest hesitantly, “You’re not gonna burn it, are you?”

“No, we just need to heat the paper.” he explains, “Urine can act as sort of an… invisible ink, if you will, until it heats up.”

“I see…” he says, hesitating for a moment before handing the letter, his only clue to his missing lover, to Taka. He holds it above the flame carefully as they all move closer to watch. Before their very eyes, lines began to appear on the parchment.

  
  


_Isaac,_

_~~I’m so sorry. I did my best to live among you and the others, and to help with~~ _ _the Church ~~,~~_ ~~_I truly_ ~~_ha_ _ve_ _ ~~, but it is too overwhelming for~~ _ _me._ ~~_The blame is entirely on myself and my failure in_ _trying to_ ~~_~~deny the fact I’ve lived in isolation too long to be comfortable around other humans, finding more belonging in the demons I~~ _ _summon_ ~~ _than_~~ ~~ _them, and between everything that’s happened with_~~ _Dracula_ ~~_, Carmilla, and_~~ _Lenore_ _~~that I am unable to find any sense of peace within myself, be it~~ _ _here_ ~~_or anywhere else. If it is any consolation, I am more than grateful for everything you’ve done to_ _help me_ ~~_~~and for all the time we spent together. I do not regret a moment of it. I am thankful to Miranda as well, however bizarre of a woman she may be. I ask that you understand, for your own sake if not mine though there is no~~ _ _hurry_ ~~_to do so now that I’m gone._~~

_With all my love,_

_Hector_

  
  


“So we were right,” Isaac breathes, stuck between feeling relief and horror (the former for knowing Hector was alive, and the latter because he had been in the building, possibly right on top of him without even knowing it), “He is in the Church.”

“Who’s Lenore?” Sumi asks, pointing to the name.

“A general of Carmilla’s who kept him as a pet.” he explained, the very words making him sick to his stomach. Taka seems to share the sentiment clearly, his eyes widened in horror, clutching his stomach. Sumi simply winces and turns her head away.

Isaac doesn’t notice, his eyes remaining on the letter as he stands, resolute in what needs to happen next, “We need to tell the others.”

* * *

“I’d really prefer you not smoke in here.” the Judge sighed, opening a window and trying to wave the smoke out.

“And I wished I hadn’t got roped into all this, yet here we are.” Miranda bit back, “Let an old woman enjoy her smoke, will you?”

He sighed, sitting at his chair and folding his hands, “Shouldn’t they’d be back by now?” he asks, turning to Sypha.

“I’d imagine they’re trying to be discreet as possible.” the Speaker assures, “Belnades and Belmont pride ourselves on doing things cleanly. Although… I do hope I don’t have to go out there and help.” she gazed at the door, “I’d hate to freeze a bunch of monks.”

“Hopefully, it won’t come to that.” the Judge said, “No disrespect, but I don’t want any more magic in my town. I’ve had enough of it.”

“Oh, have you?” Miranda prodded, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“It brings nothing but chaos the more I run into it, and chaos is an enemy.” he said, “And I take pride in keeping it out of my town.” 

Miranda laughed a loud boisterous laugh, “Keeping out chaos? That’s a joke if I’ve ever heard one. Look at your town Judge, there’s a cult in your Church and night creatures in your fields. The entire world is chaotic, there is bedlam and mayhem everywhere you look, to try and force it out is like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket.”

The Judge’s eyes narrowed, hands tightening their hold on each other, “So you’d rather we abandon all law and logic?”

“As fun as that would be, no.” she shook her head, “There are methods to the madness, people can find their peace in this crazy world. But to deny the world is insane, to say your town is immune to the follies of humanity and the unpredictableness of this world is downright foolish, Judge. These are uncertain times, and as long as time exists things will always be uncertain.”

Sypha looked between the two Elder with uncertainty.

“Delivery!” Trevor announced as he slammed open the door, stepping to the side. Right behind him walked in Alucard, dragging a tied up man and throwing him against the wall.

“Hey!” the man shouted.

“Sorry, I’ll try and make the next kidnapping much more gentle for you, deal?” Alucard said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Great timing!” Sypha clapped as she stood.

As if only just now sensing the disgruntled atmosphere, Trevor looks to her confused, “What’s going-”

“Hush.” she held a finger up, “Now, who do we have here?”

“A creepy thug who stalked and assaulted us.” the dhampir replies plainly, motioning to him with a hand, “Just for you.”

“I see.” she hummed, “Well, what have you to say, Mr. Creepy Stalker Thug?”

“Fuck you, Harlot.” he growled.

She huffed. “Well, that’s not very nice.”

“If we may interrupt,” came another voice from the door.

“Taka, Sumi?” Alucard blinked, “I thought I told you to stay at the-”

“It was important.” Sumi says, stopping him with a raised hand.

“They’re right.” Isaac says as he moves past them, handing the letter to Trevor, “Look for yourself.”

Trevor scanned the letter, before handing it over for Miranda, Alucard and Sypha, “Well, that certainly helps move things along.” he says, walking to the monk, “We know you’ve got our friend. Talk.”

“Fuck. You.” he spat, glaring daggers.

“I could kill him and resurrect him as a zombie,” Isaac offers, “I could pry the information out much more quickly that way.”

“Let’s save that for last.” Sypha says. The forgemaster and Speaker exchange a glance, before silently nodding in agreement and walking past Trevor to the monk.

“Sypha, would you like to know something interesting I learned in my travels?” Isaac asked as he stared at the man, his face betraying no trace of emotion

“Of course, Isaac.” she says as she crosses her arms, “What is it?”

“I learned that the feet contain billions of nerves in them, especially on the soles.”

“Is that so?” she hums.

“Yes. So much of them are dedicated to feeling the slightest change beneath them. I wonder what would happen if one were to say… burn or electrocute them?”

“I’m not sure, “ she smirks, lighting her hands on fire (much to the horror of their captive), “Let’s find out.”

“H-Hang on!” he protested.

“Remember not to do it so intensely. We don’t want to burn all the nerves at once, otherwise our torture will end too soon.”

“You’re right.” she nods thoughtfully, reducing the flame to a small flame scarcely bigger than one from a candle, “Will this work?”

“Wonderful.” he chuckles, looking back down at the man, “Shall we begin?”

“Do what you want!” the man challenged, his confident tone not matching his scared shitless expression, “Even if I tell you everything, it will be too late!”

“Well, then you’ve got nothing to lose by telling us everything.” Isaac says, walking over and standing over him, “In fact, you’ll have something to gain.”

“Oh yeah?” the man scoffed, “Like what?”  
“You’re life.” he replies, eyes narrowing, “What will it be?”

There are a few moments of defiant silence from the man, filling the air with a sense of thick dread.

“I’m not sure whether to be impressed or terrified by Sypha.” Alucard whispered to Trevor, unfamiliar with this side of the Speaker.

“It takes a bit of getting used to.” he whispers back, shrugging.

“Very well then,” Sypha sighs, stepping forward, “Let’s get to it-”

“I already told you, it’s too late!” the man cackled, “Tonight, our Lord will come, and he will burn you off the Earth as he ushers in a new age of wisdom and enlightenment!”

Alucard’s eyes widened in horror, turning towards the window and out at the setting sun, “Shit.”

“You haven’t got much time left boys and girls!” he yelled, “Best get on your knees and pray our Lord Dracula shall grant you a quick death! Heathens! Heretics! Bast-!”

Trevor stomped over and held his thumb to a nerve on the man’s neck, causing his eyes to roll back and slump over, out cold.

“My God…” Miranda breathes, “Fucking idiots, they don’t know what they’re doing, what they’re going to do.”

“And here I thought that man claiming to be a time traveler was the most insane person we met,” Sumi said as she looked to Alucard, swallowing nervously, “This is much worse.”

“Trevor.” the Judge took a deep breath, “You’re an expert on this, you defeated Dracula. What do we do?”

The Belmont said nothing as he glanced back at Alucard and Sypha, standing and turning to face them, “Do you guys have my back?”

“Always.” Sypha said firmly, as Alucard nodded.

“Right then,” he turned to the Judge, eyes filled with determination and resolution firm in his voice, “Gather your soldiers at the church. We’ve got ourselves a friend to save, a city to protect, and a battle to win.”


	10. Battlecry

“... now if you have a cellar that would be the ideal place to hide, but if you don’t have one the innermost room will do. Put as many walls between your family and the battle, and remember, do not open the door no matter what you hear outside.” Alucard explained, “Is that clear?”

“Of course,” the old man nodded as his grandchildren hid behind him, looking at the dhampir curiously.

“Thank you for your cooperation.” he said, shortly smiling at the children before returning to the town square, where soldiers had gathered and were sharpening their blades for battle. He pushed his way through the crowd until he found the Judge, addressing him right away, “I just got done warning the last house. Should your citizens be in their right mind, they’ll follow my instructions.”

“I trust them to do so.” the Judge replied tersely, looking over the gathering, “I suppose I should address my men, it’s the least I can do for asking them to put their lives on the line.” he sighed, a touch of sadness in his voice.

“Go ahead,” Alucard said understandingly, “I’ll go find Trevor.”

With that being said, he was off once more. He passed Taka and Sumi, who were speaking with Miranda about their plans to stay on the outside of the Church and prevent night creatures and cult members from making it into the town, he passed Isaac who sharpened his dagger with a flint silently, watching the red sparks hit the ground. At last, he reached the town hall, where Trevor said he’d be. However as Alucard reached for the doorknob, he heard two voices, barely above a whisper and having a hushed argument.

“I’m afraid we’re pushing our luck, Sypha, look what we’ve got into now. We’ve barely survived the first time, and now we’re pulling those two kid hunters and all those men into this, those men probably have family Sypha.”

“I know, but we need their help.”

“It’s just-” a frustrated sigh, “I never wanted this for us. I thought fighting goat demons that shat fire was enough adventure for us, but now fucking Dracula is coming back and I just, I don’t want this to be the end of our story…”

There’s a moment of silence, before Sypha’s gentle yet firm voice breaks it, “The Judge said those men are volunteering Trevor, they are good men who want to help defend what they love. And those hunters want to do as your family has, to learn and protect the world from the evils of the world. I think we owe it to them, to all of them to let them help us. We beat Dracula last time, and we can do it again. Perhaps we’ll even beat our record with all this help we’ve got.”

“Oh my god Sypha, I’d rather not make this a regular thing.” he laughs, somehow sounding humored and unamused at the same time.

“There, that’s my Treffy.” she chuckles, and there’s the sound of a quick kiss.

Alucard finally gets his hand to push open the door, “It’s time.” he says, acting none the wiser.

The two humans whipped their heads around, eyes wide like they were two teenagers caught doing something inappropriate.

“Um, right.” Trevor clears his throat as he stands and walks to him, Sypha following close behind, “Right…”

He looks out at the group of soldiers in thought as the Judge finishes his speech. Sypha placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, giving a soft smile that said ‘you’ve got this and I’ve got you’. He smiled back, placing his hand over hers for a short second, before continuing to his place next to the judge.

Clearing his throat, he spoke with a loud confidence that could only come from Trevor Belmont, “Alright, listen up! The Church has a twelve foot drop behind it and the walls are nearly down on all sides, so surrounding it from all sides and doing a surprise attack is not an option. Our best plan of attack is to take them head on. Remember, these are religious lunatics, they are not afraid of death and will not run. Strike them down when you have the chance and do not hesitate, or else you’ll be dead. With that said, here’s the formation we’re going to use…”

As Trevor gave his orders, Isaac was too preoccupied with his own thoughts as he looked towards the foreboding church in the distance, hand tightening around his dagger, “Soon, Hector.” he promised in a hushed voice.

* * *

Hector watched the final preparations being made in silence as they painted the combined symbols of lead and sulfur on the floor. He idly fidgeted with the hem of his shirt, though his fangers ached to tug and try and loosen the collar around his neck. He knew not to touch it, lest he displease Lenore.

Sala walked towards them calmly, like there wasn't a spear in his hand, “Thank you for all you’ve contributed to our great cause, when the world is remade you shall be recognized.”

“The honor belongs to you and your men, Sala. If not for you, none of this would have been put together.” Lenore smiles. Hector suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. Where was his thanks in this?

The priest nods gratefully, “It is too bad you won’t be here to witness the great return of our lord.”

Hector’s eyes went wide in surprise, voice wavering, “We’re, we’re leaving?” 

“Hush Hector.” she chided without so much as a glance towards him, “Now then...”

Her words faded away as he went into himself, throat tightening not from the collar, but from the horror rising inside of him. They were leaving, they were going to leave before Hector could be found, before he could ensure his plan could be completed.

He was torn from his thoughts when she tugged on his leash, causing him to stumble in her direction, “Come on pet!” she says cheerily, beaming as she practically drags him through the catacombs.

“W-Wait!” he said, hoping she didn’t hear the desperation in his voice, “Couldn’t we stay and watch? I want to see my work through.”

“Is that so?” she says with an air of amusement, “Even if the resulting night creatures are going to kill everyone on sight, you want to stay and watch?”

“Well, I-”

“You did something, didn’t you?” she smiled mischievously, “You did something to the ritual, and you thought you were going to be able to stay and make an escape, didn’t you?”

“No,” he swallows, “That’s not-”

“You thought you were being so clever, didn’t you?” she chuckled, gently cupping his cheek, “You didn’t think I’d catch onto your little game, that you had me convinced with your acting?”

He opened his mouth to argue, but she cut him off.

“It’s okay, dear.” she hummed as she pushed a lock of hair behind his ear, “We’ll have plenty of time to properly tame you. Come along now.” she said, continuing down the hall. However she was stopped when the end of the leash pulled taught, causing her to turn and see the human hadn’t moved an inch.

“Hector!” she scolded, expression darkening, “I said, ‘come’!”

He said nothing as he stood his ground, his head held high as he met her annoyed gaze with one of defiance. The time for passiveness was over. Even if the others didn’t reach him in time, even if his plan had failed, he wasn’t going to leave this town willingly. Not over his dead body.

“You’re acting out now? At a time like this?” she hissed, expression darkening, “Fine, I can deal with that.”

* * *

The air was buzzing with magic. Even those not attuned to mystical forces could feel in, goosebumps prickling their skin and hair standing on edge.

Still, the humans (and dhampir) stood resolute, marching towards the Church with determination.

“Isaac.” Sypha breathed .

“I know, I feel it too.” he replied, eyes narrowing, “All Hell is about to break loose.”

She swallowed uneasily, holding onto his shoulder as they approached the building, “I feel like we’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“Stay strong, Sypha.” he comforted.

Suddenly, the Judge stopped and raised a hand, wordlessly commanding his men to halt. He gazed upon the Church with contempt as he spoke, “Sala!” he shouted, “Prior Sala, when you were a simple man of the Church I tolerated on my people. When you became a mad hermit, who shunned my people I tolerated you still. No more! You will vacate the priory, throw your weapons out as you exit!” there was a moment of silence before he continued, “Sala! I know you have deconsecrated the priory, God is no longer in that house, you enjoy no protection! Out, all of you now! Or we come for you Sala”

* * *

The last of the blood dripped from jars, the finished symbol a dark omen of things to come.

Sala ignored the shouting outside in favor of focusing on carefully slicing through the beast’s flesh, paying no mind as its drool dripped onto his robes. At last he placed the spear down, meeting the creature’s eyes with his own.

“Brothers,” he says as he turns, opening his arms wide, “Let the ritual begin!”

* * *

The doors creaked open, and slowly but surely a wall of armed monks formed in front of the church. They stood tall, madness in their eyes as they held their weapons tight.

There was a moment, only a second when neither party moved. The tension was thick, like a string pulled taught. Then the string snapped.

The only way to describe the battle was bloody. Throats were slit, spears shoved through chests, bones breaking and skin sliced. Men held their own entrails in their hands, staring dazed at their own innards as they unraveled from their bodies. Countless soldiers from both sides laid on the ground, twitching and gasping for one last breath.

Isaac fought and killed just as he always had, quick and efficiently. There was no hint of arrogance on his face, for although he had taken on vampire armies and even defeated Legion, he knew just as well not to let his previous victories fool him into being overconfident. The only thing he let motivate him was the very thing he had once denounced. Love.

Trevor and Sypha fought back to back, movements in tandem as if they were performing a dance of death. Sypha’s kills were fast and brutal, men burned alive and others impaled on ice. Trevor was right behind her, there to stab and slash at anyone who dared come close.

Alucard was elegant and animalistic all at once, fangs bared as his sword torn through flesh and bones. The last that most of his opponents was a red flash and silver glinting in the moonlight before they were granted death.

Suddenly, the night was lit up with hues of green and purple, inhuman screeches and wails tearing through the tense silence.

“God damnit!” Trevor hissed under his breath, watching as the bright lights shifted into a soft orange which shot through the sky like flares, “The Hell’s going on!?

Sypha looked at the sight with what could only be described as pure terror, “Exactly what we feared would happen,” she answered.

Within seconds, the battlefield was joined by night creatures, some as big as a horse and others the size of dragonflies. They took neither side, descending upon any and all humans in their paths.

“We need to get in there, now!” Sypha shouted. With a wave of her hand she sent a blast of cold air that froze the wall of monks where they stood, Trevor’s whip flying through the swarm of imps and setting off a series of blasts that cleared the way.

“This way!” he called to the others. Alucard and Isaac quickly followed his voice to the inside of the Church.

Everyone spun around as they entered, looking for any sign of demons or deranged monks. Just when it seemed to be empty, Alucard’s ears barely picked up on the sound of heavy breathing above the chaos of the battle outside. and looked up to see a winged demon covered in eyes staring down, growling lowly.

“Watch out!” he called to the others as it leapt down, landing hard and shaking the ground.

It was soon joined by another, who pinned the Belmont to the wall with his trident, the spikes barely missing his neck.

“Trevor!” Alucard called, only to be blocked by the first one which unleashed a fury of swipes with its spear. Suddenly came the whistle of heated air, followed by a blast of fire from which Alucard was only shielded from by the beast itself. It growled lowly as it turned to face Sypha, who aimed her blast of flames straight into its face. Unphased, the monster grabbed her by the wrists and flung her high into the air.

“SYPHA!” Trevor shouted, his face darkened with anger. He swung his legs forwards, kicking at the fallen angel’s hand and breaking bones beneath his foot until he managed to kick the trident from its hands. He brutally kicked its femur in two, pinning it against the wall as he used the MorningStar as makeshift brass knuckles, pounding its head until it was ground meat.

Alucard let out a warcry as he brought his sword down on the fallen angel, stabbing his sword through its heart. It fell to the ground with a muffled gurgle, twitching as he pulled his sword free of its flesh. He looked up in time to see Sypha, propelled through the air by flames, slicing a demon with blades of ice as it flew in for the kill. Since when had she been able to do that? The whole time? Just recently?

For the split second he was lost in his thoughts he failed to notice a gargoyle creeping up behind him, raising its clawed hand above its head. It let out a screech, barely giving him time to turn around and raise his sword. By then, it had been impaled by icicles from behind and fell to the ground, revealing the sight of Taka, bow in hand glowing blue and cold. 

“Hurry!” he shouted as he readied another ice arrow, “We’ll protect the people and take care of the demons out here, you go on ahead!”

Faith was a fickle thing, a light that flickered as Alucard took in the sheer number of demons surrounding the humans. 

But his students remained steadfast. Sumi sliced through demons with a sword of flames, slicing through burning flesh and moving onto the next opponent without so much as a moment’s hesitance. There were arrows of lightning which electrocuted their targets, ones of flames that made demons burst in explosions of burnt flesh, bodies impaled with arrows of ice which exploded into numerous shards, none of which missed their targets. 

And the flame of faith remained strong as Alucard followed the others into the basement, prepared to take down whatever they faced.


	11. Breaking the Binds

He had never felt more like a toddler in his life.

He was kicking, yelling, throwing his entire weight to the floor over and over in a desperate attempt to slow her down. Lenore simply shifted her grip on him and continued on like his struggles were that of a dying fish.

“After everything I’ve done for you.” she scoffs as she drags him up the steps to a door (he’s sure his tailbone shattered at least halfway up). She throws open the door to reveal a white horse, one he recognized from being on sale in the market a few days earlier.

“Oh for the love of, will you quit acting like a rabid weasel and get on the horse before we’re eaten by the demons you helped summon!?” she reprimanded, throwing him to the ground and pressing her heel between his shoulder blades.

“ _Never_ !” he snaps, glaring at her with all the hatred and rage that had been stewing in the depths of his heart, “I. Am not. Your damn. _PET_!”

The idea of being eaten alive didn’t scare him surprisingly, not when it meant Lenore would suffer the same fate. It would be the best way to go out at this point.

“He’s right you know.” comes a third voice, one he had been desperate to hear the past few days.

“Miranda…” Hector gasps quietly, receiving a sharp yank on his hair that pulled him up to his feet. He tensed as Lenore wrapped an arm around him, trapping him in an iron hold.

Miranda stands before them stoicly among he corpses of soldiers, seemingly unfazed by the threat as she pulls her pipe from her sleeve, “You’ve got my friend in your hands there,” she deadpans as the air around them begins to churn, the air glowing with menacing violet aura, “And a mad woman doesn’t take to kindly to people putting their hands on her friends.”

“Let’s not be hasty, Madame Forgemaster.” Lenore said with her usual, soft-toned confidence, “I’m sure we can negotiate.”

“I don’t think you understand girl, you’re in no position to negotiate.” Miranda said as she lit her pipe, “You’re in a position to beg.”

Lenore laughed, “You’d like me to beg for my life? Is that it? You may not have noticed due to your age, but you can’t forge a demon to fight me, you don’t even have a tool!”

“Don’t I?” she challenged. Ever so slowly, she took a long drag from her pipe and blew out a cloud of glowing purple smoke. It sank to the ground, spreading like an ominous fog across the corpses that laid scattered.

The bodies twitched once, twice, pulsing with violet energy as their flesh lit up with violet flames. Lenore’s eyes widened as the three gargoyles stood, a fourth demon with thorny vines for hands joining them, hissing lowly as they approached.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Lenore hissed, pulling Hector up by the hair and holding her claws to his throat, “Or else your precious little Hector gets his throat torn out.”

Miranda narrowed her eyes, the demons stopping in their tracks at the silent command of their master, “You don’t have anything to gain from this girl.” she said, “If he dies, then you follow.”

The vampire smirked, “Then it seems we’re at an impasse. Listen, we both want him alive right? So we can all just relax and work this- **_AAAAAAA_ **!!” 

She screamed as Hector moved in the blink of an eye and bit down on her hand, reveling in the feeling of her skin and muscle snapping between his teeth. Even as her sour, cursed blood filled his mouth, even as her deafening scream rang in his ears, he didn’t let go.

Lenore grabbed him by the hair and threw him to the ground as she hissed “You ungrateful _bastard_!” she screeched as she cradled her bleeding hand.

The gargoyles screamed and leapt for her, slamming her to the ground as she realized her mistake a moment too late. 

The vine monster slammed its fists into the ground, its tendrils travelling beneath the soil to wrap around the stunned vampire.

As he stood and caught his breath, all Hector could find himself saying was, “Thanks.”

“Thank me after we survive Armageddon.” she deadpans.

He huffed out a half-hearted laugh as he looked back to where Lenore laid trapped on the ground as the gargoyles back up off of her.

“Let go of me! _LET GO_!” she hissed as she thrashed useless against the vines wrapped tightly around her. Her perfect image of elegance and grace was broken, replaced with a hissing, rabid animal.

“Hector.” he heard Miranda say softly as she grabbed his hand, looking down as she placed a knife into his palm and closed his fingers around it, “She’s all yours.”

Lenore’s expression shifts to a more human one, one of shocked terror as she realizes she is at the mercy of her ‘pet’.

“Hector,” she swallows, “I’ve only ever wanted what was best for you, all I’ve ever done is love you how I know to love things! I protected you from the torture my sisters wanted to inflict Hector, I made sure you had the best life possible! All I ever wanted was a compromise between the people I love!” she whimpers, blood tears running down her cheeks, “Is that evil to you Hector?”

He stares at her silently, his face betraying not a trace of emotion. After a moment, he tucked the knife into his belt, walking over and kneeling by her side. Gently, ever so tenderly he brushed her dirty hair from her face, caressing her cheek softly. She smiled up at him as he leaned down, lips barely brushing her ear as he whispered, “When the sun comes up, I want you to remember that what you’re going through is only a fraction of what you’ve done to me.”

The sight of the hope in her eyes being shattered was one he’d remember happily for years to come, her face drained of what little color there was as she realized her fate, “WAIT, HECTOR!” she called as he stood.

“I have to go back.” he told Miranda as he ignored the vampire's cries.

“Good God, you’re going back in there!?” she recoiled, “Why!?”

“Because only I know how to stop this,” he explains, “I can’t go into detail, but I share a connection with the creature opening the portal. It’s being driven mad by the power of Hell harnessed by the ritual, and unless I go down there to stop it Dracula will return and all will be lost.”

Miranda contemplated his words, holding a hand to her chin in thought, “Are you confident you can pull it off?”

“No,” he admits, “But if nothing is done, then it is certain everything will go to Hell in a literal sense.”

The forgemaster laughed and shook her head, “That’s madness you’re talking Hector, and I like it.” she said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “Go take care of whatever mess is down there, I’ll handle the sorry excuses of demons up here.”

He smiled and nodded, hugging her briefly before heading back down into the underground labyrinth. Miranda watched the entrance for a moment more, before turning to the vampire, “Now, as for you…”

“Are you going to kill me, forgemaster?” Lenore taunts, “Will you feel proud about killing a weak tied up vampire?”

“No, Hector’s chosen your death. I will respect that.” she says as a wicked smile spreads across her face, “Doesn’t mean I can’t have my fun until then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hector takes back control at last!!
> 
> (btw Miranda is basically Hector and Isaac's chaotic lesbian aunt who will make you wish you were dead if you touch either of her boys. in case you were unclear where my characterization lies with her.)


	12. One Last Hope

“Holy shit.” Trevor muttered under his breath, saying what they were all thinking. 

The enormous demon was just finishing up devouring the corpse of a monk when it noticed the intruders, growling lonely. It moved like it was drunk, not even paying any attention from the demons emerging from the portal behind it.

“Trevor,” Alucard said suddenly, “If I can get past it, I can try to close the portal.”

“Right.” he nodded, “Everyone, clear the path of demons! I’ll take on the big guy and keep him distracted!”

“Got it.” Sypha said as they charged all at once.

Isaac went straight for a fallen angel, dodging its axes as he ran at it. He pushed his blade deep into the creature’s flesh, but the flames simply disappeared over the creature’s flesh. He quickly dodged a swipe from its claws as he ran back to Trevor’s side, “Their flesh isn’t malleable and they’re immune to my Hellfire,” he quickly briefed.

Trevor cursed under his breath, “Does your blade at least do damage?”

“Yes,” he said as he glanced down at the blood on the blade, “But I fear it will take more than a knife to take them down.”

“Yeah, but it's all you’ll need to take down a vampire and some humans.” he said as he grabbed Isaac’s shoulder and pointed in the direction of a door torn off its hinges, revealing the path of a long tunnel that seemed to disappear into darkness, “We’ll take care of everything else, just find Hector and see if those cult crazies will talk. If not, make us a few soldiers will you?”

Isaac nodded and made a b-line straight for the entrance. The angel’s many eyes followed him, growling as it made a step towards him. It’s attention quickly shifted when the whip striked its shoulder, the wound sizzling and before it exploded in a blazing burst of blood and fire.

“How about a challenge, you ugly bastard!?” Trevor shouted as he whirled his chain, readying another hit as the portal creature seemed to finally take notice and charged at him.

Several arrows flew across the room, barely missing Sypha and Alucard. The Speaker summoned a sharp circle of ice, throwing at the approaching demons. It successfully sliced one in half before it was broken by the archer demon, who readied three more arrows as it aimed. Alucard ran towards the squid demon, but was caught off guard as it summoned a bright fall of energy from its mouth, which darkened into what could only be described as a hole in reality which began pulling everything into it. The dhampir grabbed onto a pillar, digging his claws into it as he struggled to resist the black hole. Suddenly, he saw a flash of blue tumble past him, his heart dropping as he called, “SYPHA!”

Sypha summoned two jets of fire from her hands in the nick of time, creating enough turbulence to keep her away from the center. She circled around the black hole, grabbing onto the demons head and blasting it right off. Alucard could have sighed in relief one the black hole dissipated, but there was no time for such things.

There was a clear path to the portal now that all but one of the smaller demons were out of the way.

In an instant Alucard sped to the portal, leaving a path of red behind him. Undeterred by the bright flashing hues of green and purple in his face, he raised his hands, focusing as hard as he could as he tried to get a hold on the portal. The magic was burning and freezing all at the same time. It was like tangled smoke, impossible to grab, much less control.

“God damn it, come on!” he growled in frustration, “Give me something!”

Behind him Trevor yelled as he was hit by the creature’s hand, sent tumbling across the floor like a ball batted by a cat. He felt his forehead split open, blood gushing down his face as the room spun around him.

He pushed himself onto his hands and knees with a grunt, quickly taking into account his surroundings. There was a bloodied spear across the room, if he could just grab it then-

He barely dodged the next hit, the monster's hand crushing the stone where he one stood. He unfurled his whip, the chain wrapping around the shaft of the spear. With a strong yank he pulled it to him, grabbing it and whirling around. He took a few steps back as he aimed, before launching it straight into one of the beast’s eyes. It screamed and shook its head frantically, pawing at its face as Trevor struck again with the whip. There was another explosion of flesh, but within seconds the wound closed, knitting itself shut, “Why the fuck isn’t he going down!?”

“It must be using the souls of the monks it just murdered to power itself!” Alucard shouted from where he stood, never taking his eyes off the portal.

“So I’ll have to kill it several times over?” Trevor huffed an empty laugh, smirking as he unfurled his leather whip, “All the more fun, come at me you rat bastard!”

* * *

The walls of the catacombs shook with every impact from the battle, but Isaac pressed forward despite the rumbling beneath his feet. He spared only a quick glance at each cell as he searched for any sign of Hector or Lenore, refusing to acknowledge the possibility that it might already be too late.

He was expecting a lot of things, a dark figure hiding in each shadow, the flash of a blade in the torchlight, but nothing could prepare him for the splash of water in his face as he turned one of the corners.

Isaac cursed and went to wipe his eyes with his sleeve, only to realize that it wasn’t just water thrown in his face. The overwhelming scent of herbs and spices overwhelmed his nose as his eyes began to sting, then burn.

“You seem to forget that you are only human, Isaac.” came Sala’s voice as he grunted in pain, eyes squeezed shut against his wishes, “As talented as you are, your body is still fragile.”

“Coward,” he hissed as he rubbed at his face with his sleeve, all but choking on the makeshift mace, “For everything you preach, you’re still unwilling to die for your cause.”

“My men knew what their fate was,” Sala replied calmly as he circled the man, “I only wait for Dracula’s arrival, and then I will welcome death with open arms.”

Isaac tightened his grip on his dagger, swinging towards the man’s voice, at every slight sound he could hear.

“Perhaps under different circumstances, we could have worked together. I truly was curious about your craft.” the priest lamented as he tossed the bucket under Isaac’s feet, causing the man to trip and fall to the ground. The forgemaster yelled in frustration as he hit the ground, trying to blink away the irritants, unable to tell which blurs were what. He held his dagger up, panting as his eyes searched for the monk. He just needed something to move, or a sound, or-

“GET AWAY FROM HIM!” 

The voice he had been praying to hear again echoed through the halls, followed by the sound of a struggle.

“Hector!?” Isaac gasped, looking in the direction. He was able to see two figures, a silver-haired one and one clad in black wrestling over something. Quickly singling out the priest, Isaac scrambled to his feet and thrust his blade into the back of the man’s neck. At last, his vision cleared in time to see Sala choking on his own blood, trembling as he sputtered his last breath. He pulled out his dagger and watched the man sink to the floor, before looking up at his missing lover and sighing in relief, “Are you alright?”

Hector said nothing as he stared at the corpse, standing completely still save for his heavy breathing. There was something in his eyes, something in his face that screamed that something was wrong.

“Hector?” Isaac called to him. Hector looked up at the mention of his name and opened his mouth to speak, before suddenly stumbling forward. Isaac quickly caught him before he could hit the dirt floor, eyes widening as he felt something warm and wet on Hector's clothes.

“Hector!” he gasped as he carefully helped the man to the ground, finally seeing the culprit. Right on the left side of his abdomen was an ugly knife wound, which pulsed with every strained breath the forgemaster took in. The blood was spreading quickly across his tunic, up to his chest and down past the waist of his pants.

“Damnit!” he hissed under his breath, looking down the halls frantically, “We’ve got to get you somewhere safe and-”

“No time,” Hector wheezed, wincing as he spoke, “H-help me up.”

Isaac stared at him incredulously, “Help you up? Hector, you are bleeding to death!”

“If we stall this any longer, we will both be dead along with everyone else!” he argued through gritted teeth, “I’ve made my choice Isaac...”

_ ‘Now let me die with it.’ _ were the words that went unspoken. Isaac looked into his eyes, searching for any sign of hesitancy, but Hector’s gaze remained determined with his decision.

“Alright…” he relented, putting Hector’s arm over his shoulder as he helped him up, moving his other hand to hold pressure on the wound (wincing at Hector’s hiss of pain), “Would you mind telling me exactly what your plan is?”

“I share a connect-a connection to that creature in there.” he swallowed, licking his lips, “I keep trying to call to it, but all it answers with is screams. T-the amount of energy flowing out of Hell right now must be driving it mad, but if I can get close enough I might be able to calm it down enough for it to come back to its senses and close the portal.”

“That’s a big ‘if’.” Isaac points out.

“I know,” Hector sighs and nods, “But it’s the only hope we have.”

* * *

Sumi shoved her blade deep into the creature flesh, pulling it free from bone and muscle as she ran down the city streets, taking down demons that were trying to break into homes and stores and devour the scared humans inside. A few times she had arrived a moment too late, bearing witness to faces being ripped off and children snapped in two, innards spilling out onto cobblestone. 

Once more both she and Taka had to rely on the hardened hearts and minds they had developed in Cho’s court as they split up, Taka heading to the roofs to shoot down the flying demons as Sumi took on the ones on the ground. She could hear explosions of fire and felt icy water drop from the sky every now and then, letting her know her beloved friend was still fighting, but for how much longer? 

As she sliced through another group of demons, she was unable to stop the words from spilling past her lips, “Hurry,” she said, hoping that somehow they could hear her, “Please hurry up.”

* * *

The archer demon screeched in pain as electricity coursed through its body, collapsing to the ground as smoke rose from its flesh. With that taken care of Sypha ran to Trevor’s side, joining in the fight against the massive demon.

“I can’t get a hold of it!” Alucard shouted as the portal flashed, revealing rivers of blood and icy forests, bodies twisted and forever frozen in agony among the cruel landscape. A burning remains of a house, an all too familiar house came into focus.

“No…” he whispered as terror seized his chest, as the figures of his mother and father became familiar. They held each other in a fast embrace on the sooty floor of their ruined home, then as if sensing the approaching energy looked up. Their eyes widen, faces overcome with emotion. Did they see him? They had to be able to see him with such a reaction. He tried to ignore them and focus on shutting the portal as they stood, his father making the first step towards him, “DON’T!” he snapped. Dracula stopped, expression turning surprised as the declaration.

“Don’t you dare come any closer!” Alucard hissed, golden eyes brimmed with tears, “Is it not enough that you made me do it once, are you going to make me kill you again!?”

His mother tilted her head at him, gazing at him softly.

“Why? Why wasn’t I enough for you!?” he snapped, months of unspoken grief and anger and sorrow tumbling forth, “Why wasn’t I enough for you to keep living, or at least kill yourself without using me as an instrument!? Fucking tell me!” ”

The outburst combined with his struggling to control the portal left him weak, and he dropped his head tiredly, a curtain of golden hair hiding his ugly cries. He felt something push through the portal, was torn between not caring and panicking about the break.

Unexpectedly, two hands caressed his cheeks, gently tilting his head up to face them.

Their touch was cold against his cheeks, light and lingering only for a moment before letting go. He watched in stunned silence as they back away from the portal, wrapping an arm around each other as they smiled at him. They looked almost… proud. 

Suddenly the entire room shook with an ear piercing roar as the creature let out a blast of flames from its mouth.

Sypha barely managed to stop the wall of flames as Trevor let out a battle cry, his whips whistling through the flames and slicing through any flesh he could hit on the monster. Wound after wound shut as if he had never landed a hit. He grit his teeth as he panted, the exhaustion of the long battle finally catching up to him. God damn it, this couldn’t end here, he was not going to let their story end in a dingy basement in some ruined church. They were supposed to be the chosen ones, the one who had defeated Dracula for good and saved the world. All their battles, all of their time spent together couldn’t be for nothing!

“Stop!” Hector shouted as he and Isaac stepped through the threshold.

Sypha looked back at him, eyes widening at the sight of the wounded man, “Hector, stay back! I’ll be with you in a moment-!”

“You need to stop!” he repeated the desperation in his voice rising, “It doesn’t want to do this!”

“What the Hell are you talking about!?” Trevor shouted as he stumbled back. Sypha quickly caught him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder for support. 

“You need to trust me!” Hector said as he looked to the beast, which was slowly walking towards the humans, “Stay here,” he told Isaac, quickly adding, “It will be alright.” before the man could protest.

Reluctantly Isaac nodded, “Be careful.” he said as he let go of him, hands still held out as if ready to catch him at a moment’s notice. The forgemaster took a deep breath as he turned towards the monster.

“Beast? It’s me, Hector.” he said as he cautiously stepped forward, all but hobbling towards it, “You need to listen to me, you need to close the portal now if you have any hope of returning to your world!”

The demon roared and shook its head, panting heavily.

“It’s overwhelming, I know, but the only way to stop it is to shut it!” he explained, clinging to their connection with all his might. The string connecting them was weak, like holding onto a string in a turbulent river. 

Still, he persisted, “I know you’re hurt and tired, I know you’ve suffered at the hands of men who chained you and tried to take your powers for their own, but those men are gone now. Please listen,” he reached out a hand. The beast growled and opened its mouth, sharp teeth dripping with drool. 

Trevor went to reach for his whip, only for Isaac to grab his wrist, “Don’t” he said, “He’s got this.”

“Don’t you want to return home? Didn’t you’d say you’d take the first opportunity that presented itself? Well here it is!” he said as he placed his hand on top of its muzzle. The monster growled, pupils dilating and constricting as it focused on the lone human.

“Come on,” he softly pleaded, “I know you’re not a mindless beast, you have to be in there somewhere.”

There was a sudden shift in the atmosphere, and for a moment everyone feared the worst had happened. 

But at last, the intense burning energy in the room finally died down into a warm soft buzzing as the creature let out a huff, pressing its snout into his hand.

“There we are,” Hector smiled as he finally felt the monster’s mind break through its haze of rage and confusion, patting its rough skin, “I knew you were in there.”

At last the portal shifted, the entrance to Hell beginning to fade away. Alucard stepped back, watching as the image of his parents became fuzzy, swallowing past the dryness in his throat and failing to blink back his tears, “I love you…” he whispered, “I never stopped loving you…”

His mother nodded, her lips moved but the words never made it past the barrier. Still, her message was clear.

They finally disappeared as the portal flashed bright pink, revealing what Alucard could only describe as a speeding tunnel through time and space. He finally tore his eyes away from it to rush to Sypha and Trevor as the Belmont finally regained his balance.

“Trevor,” he whispered, lightly touching the gash on his head. Trevor winced slightly before smiling, “I’ve had worse in bar fights.”

He expected the dhampir to roll his eyes or say something like ‘you haven’t changed a fucking bit’. Instead, Alucard whimpered.

“We’re okay,” Sypha reassured in a hushed whisper as she reached out, grabbing him by the shoulder and hugging him tightly. He reached out and pulled Trevor into the embrace, who for once had no quip or sarcastic remark as he accepted it.

The silver-haired forgemaster smiled back at them, before looking back into the beast’s many eyes, “Go, we’ll let you take your freedom. I promise. I...”

It happened quickly as slowly all at the same time. Hector fell forward, eyes slipping shut as he dropped to the ground.

“HECTOR!” Isaac shouted, sprinting to his side heedless of the giant creature between them. He slid onto his knees beside the man, turning and lifting him into his arms, eyes widening in horror as he realized the man wasn’t breathing. 

“Hector, Hector wake up!” he shouted, voice high and frantic as he shook him, as if trying to wake him from death, “Come on Hector, you can’t do this to me!”

The trio's expressions all turned sorrowful as they watched. Sypha covered her mouth as tears filled her eyes, as Trevor simply turned his head away and Alucard lowered his gaze.

Isaac squeezed his eyes shut as hot tears flowed freely down his cheeks, dripping onto his lover’s paling face, “No…” he choked on a sob, pressing his forehead to Hector’s, “Not again, please… I can’t lose you too…”

There was a low rumble right by his ear, startling him and causing him to quickly look up. He was met with the sight of the best right in front of his face, its eyes staring down at the two forgemasters. It lowered its head to the lifeless body as its eyes and tentacles flashed blue, releasing sapphire flames from its body which rushed into the corpse.

All of a sudden Hector coughed weakly, warmth and color suddenly returning to his skin as he opened his eyes.

“Hector!” Isaac gasped in disbelief, holding him close and sobbing into his chest. 

Hector blinked at him, then smiled softly, “Told you it’d be alright…” he murmured tiredly.

Isaac laughed as he pulled away to look into his eyes, pressing a kiss to his forehead.

“Why am I even surprised at anything anymore…?” Trevor huffed as he stared at the sight, receiving only an “I dunno” from Sypha, who watched in equal confusion. Still, there was the undeniable mix of relief and joy in all of them as they walked over and joined the forgemasters in watching the beast walk slowly into the portal, not once turning back as the doorway behind dimensions closed shut and left only a gust of wind in its path.

Hector watched the spot where the creature had disappeared, whispering with a small smile, “It’s over... it’s finally over.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good god this chapter took forever to write, action is not my strong suit. I hope you guys enjoy it regardless of my weakness for action scenes <3


	13. More Fights to be Won

Hector sighed as he opened his eyes, blinking as he adjusted to the bright sunlight from the window. The night clothes he was wearing were too big and baggy to be his own, the bed he was in was unfamiliar, but thankfully soft and comfortable. He could just sink into the plush sheets and pillows without a care in the-

“Oh thank God, you’re finally awake!” he heard Miranda gasp, turning to her voice as she walked from the doorway to his bedside, “How are you feeling?”

“Sore, but thankful to be alive.” he said with a slight smile.

Miranda tsked and shook her head “You had me scared half to death, boy. Were you not bedridden I’d be thrashing you from one end of the room to the other.”

“I didn’t mean to worry you.” he chuckled, always amused by her way with words, “I apologize.”

Her expression softened as she sat on the edge of the bed, tucking his hair behind his ear, “Don’t be sorry,” she says, “I don’t know how you came back from the dead, but I’m thankful for it.”

“I think it used my own magic to revive me,” he said as he stared at the ceiling in thought, “I know magic can be used for connections, but to have something be able to use the magic you lent it? I wonder if it’s unique to that creature. If it isn’t then the possibility of sharing powers would be a groundbreaking-”

“For all that is holy, save your musings for later and just rest.” she scoffs as she stands, “I’m going to get Mr. Doctor Dhampir in here, don’t you dare move from that spot you hear me?”

“Miranda?” he said, meeting her gaze with his own worried one, “Is Lenore…?”

“She’s ashes now.” she assures, “No need to worry about her any more.”

Hector sighed in relief, shutting his eyes and relaxing back into the bed. If he hadn’t been so utterly drained, he would have cried with joy.

At last, Lenore’s claws had left him. The scars still remained, some fresher than others, but her hold on him was broken at last. Part of him wanted to go find the ashes so he could spit on them, the other feared what Miranda would do to him if she found him out of bed.

He kept his eyes shut even as footsteps approached, only opening them when they stopped at his bedside.

“How are you feeling?” Alucard asked as he sat down, holding a basket of medical gauze and vials inside of it.

“Tender, sore, that sort of thing.” he replied as he pushed the blankets off, “What happened after I blacked out again?”

“Well, the monster healed you enough to bring you back from the brink of death, but you still went into shock from blood loss. I wouldn’t recommend any extraneous activity or else you’ll risk reopening your wound.”

As if just being reminded that he’d been stabbed, Hector pulled up his shirt and looked down at his side. The wound was scabbed and crusty, only in the beginning of becoming a scar. He lightly brushed his fingers around it, hissing as the tender flesh lit up with pain.

“I wouldn’t recommend touching it either.” Alucard said with a stern voice, narrowing his eyes as Hector sheepishly pulled away his hand, “You’ve also got a concussion that’s in the middle of healing, and I put some antibiotic cream on your nail bed because Lord knows what sort of filth was in that damned church.” 

‘You could thank Lenore for all that’ he almost said, but bit his tongue instead.

“I’m going to clean it a bit,” the dhampir explained as he took a bit of gauze, popping the cork off one of the vials and pouring its contents onto it, “It’s going to sting a bit.”

“It’s fine.” the forgemaster sighed as he turned his head. He felt the wet cotton lightly press against the wound, groaning a bit as the aforementioned sting began to appear, “Where am I?” he asked, just so he could take his mind off of it.

“The inn,” Alucard said as he worked, “A few of the guests died, so the innkeeper let us take the empty rooms so that we wouldn’t all be so cramped.”

“How kind of him.” he says, unsure whether or not to count it as a blessing, “Where is everybody?”

“Outside, helping the villagers clean up some of the damage.” he explained, “It’s not as bad as it could have been.”

“But it was still bad, wasn’t it?” he said as more of a statement than a question.

Nothing else was said after that.

* * *

Sypha felt sick to her stomach in the way that she just wanted to sit down and puke. Still, she pressed forward, fetching water and food for grieving families and covering mangled bodies. She was a Speaker, aid is what her people provided, where hope could bloom in the aftermath of such disasters.

“Sypha,” Trevor said as he touched her shoulder, “You should rest.”

“I have to do this.” she insisted as she turned the well handle, “They need me.”

He sighed, gently trying to pull her away from the well, “Sypha, please-”

“Just let me do this!” she snapped, hanging her head as she muttered, “Just… let me be useful, please.”

Trevor stepped back in surprise, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck as he looked away.

“... I understand why you did it now.”

Trevor blinked, “Pardon?”

“I thought you were just a sad man, angry at the world for what it had done to you. But that wasn’t the only thing, was it?” she laughed, bitter and empty and so unlike herself, “You kept having to see shit like this over and over again and get no thanks for it, and that was if everyone even lived. It sort of makes me want to drink too, and my family is still alive and well and…” she sighed, squeezing her eyes shut as a single tear rolled down her cheek, “I’m sorry I judged you so harshly. If I had known better I wouldn’t have called rude and make fun of the way you tried to comfort me and-”

She was suddenly silenced when Trevor pulled her close, holding her head to his chest as he whispered, “Sypha, no. You were right about me.”

She whimpered, “No, I-”

“I was angry and sad, and I lashed out at everyone when I wasn’t passed out drunk, because it was easier to drink and be mad than to think about those things. But you know what changed?”

She couldn’t help but smile a bit, knowing what he was going to say next, “What?”

“I met you.” he said as he laid his chin atop her head, “And you made me want to be the type of man that didn’t smell so bad he made you puke and who knew all the right things to say, though admittedly I still don’t say the right things half the time.”

They both laughed at that.

“Point is, you… you reminded me of why I wanted to fight. I wanted to fight because there is good in the world, and even if you were the only good thing in it I’d still fight, because I’d do anything for you Sypha.” he said, gently lifting her head by the chin, “You were with me during my lowest points, and I want to be there for yours. So take a break before I pick you up and carry you away, alright?”

Sypha sniffled as she wiped away her tears, looking up at him with a little smirk, “That does sound very tempting actually.”

“There’s my Sypha.” he chuckled, kissing her cheek, “I’m going to get us something to eat, you stay right here and don’t move an inch, okay?”

“Okay.” she conceded, leaning against well, “I’ll be right here.”

“You better.” Trevor teased, wagging his finger like an old lady at her disrespectful grandchildren as he went off in search of sustenance.

She watched as he took a turn at the end of the road and disappeared behind a building, before sliding down to her rump and taking a deep breath. Her mind is busy and silent all at once, it knows there are many things to think about, but she doesn’t have the energy to do so.

* * *

Isaac hates the heat, but he also hates doing nothing.

So he presses on with his task of caring for the dead, of bringing families over to numerous corpses to identify the remains (or what remains of them). They sob, they wail, some only stare at the bodies with defeated gazes with only a nod confirming it is their loved one. They fall to the ground and scream ‘why?’ as if the sky will part and God will answer their question. He stares at the covered bodies, at the grieving living beside them...

And suddenly, death is unfamiliar to him. Something he had spent so long with and became so comfortable working with is strange and new. In the recesses of his mind he knew of mourning, of the emotion it could bring and the kind of effect it had on people, but to experience it was entirely different. It makes Isaac question if he’s ever mourned before if this is how it’s supposed to make people act.

His introspection is interrupted by a hand on his shoulder and Miranda telling him “Hector is awake.”, and just like that his attention shifts.

“Is he okay?” he asks, the words tumbling out of his mouth so fast that even he can barely understand himself, “Is he still himself? Did the resurrection have any impact on him? Is he-”

“Hector,” she says as she holds up a hand to cut him off, “Is awake. You can ask him all this yourself.”

Isaac thinks that if he were timed, he would have been the fastest human on Earth. He leans against the doorframe for support as he pants, feeling like he hasn't taken a breath the entire way over.

Hector looks at him and smiles, his arms reaching out for him. Isaac is between laughing and sobbing as he rushed to his lover’s side to join him in a mutual embrace, holding him like he was never letting go. The silver-haired forgemaster lets out a shaky breath as Isaac presses his face into the crook of his neck, gently stroking his head.

“I would spin you in my arms,” he says, hoping Hector can’t feel the tears soaking his nightgown, “But I fear hurting you.”

Hector hums as if disappointed, “Pesky stab wound, getting in the way of our reunion.”

And just like that, any doubt that it was Hector and not another soul was gone, “Alhamdulillah.” he whispered, sighing in relief.

“I suppose I’ll take my leave now.” Alucard said (‘had he been here the whole time?’ Isaac wondered), picking up his basket to leave.

“Wait!” Hector called, “There’s something you need to know about the Judge!”

Alucard stopped and turned, confused, “What is it?”

“He’s a murderer,” he says, “He’s killing children.”

Both his and Isaac’s eyes go wide at the revelation, a mix of surprise and confusion on their faces.

“I know it sounds crazy but please-”

“I believe you.” Isaac said.

Hector blinked up at him, “You do?”

He nods, “There was a closet full of children’s shoes on shelves in his home. You don’t display things like that unless they are trophies.”

“Trophies from a hunt.” Alucard says thoughtfully, “I’ll go inform the others. Isaac, take care of him, okay?”

“Of course,” he says, watching as the dhampir leaves. There’s a moment of silence as he carefully shifts to lay next to Hector on the bed, gazing into his eyes, “So…”

“So.” Hector echoes, “Are you wondering how I found out about the Judge’s crimes?”

“Not really,” he shrugs, brushing loose strands of his lover’s hair behind his hair “I just want to lay here with you.”

“Alright…” he concedes.

They lay in silence for a few moments, before Hector speaks up again, “Isaac?”

“Mhmm?”

“I... saw my parents.” Hector says, “In Hell.”

The other man tenses in surprise, eyes blown wide for what must be the hundredth time in the last week. He opens his mouth, but struggles to find words to address the revelation, “Maybe… some people see things while they’re dying-”

“I wasn’t dying,” he deadpans, “I was dead.”

Isaac sighs, shutting his eyes as the pain of losing Hector resurfaces, “I know…”

Hector scoots closer to him, pressing his forehead to his chest. He wraps his arms around him, holding him tight.

“I was in my old home, after it had burned down,” he continues, “It was very hard to breath, even though I knew I didn’t need air anymore. I suppose it's hard to make yourself stop, even after you don’t need to.

“They were still themselves, but they weren’t. It was like they were almost demons, but not yet. Their voices were still the same though.”

“They spoke to you?” Isaac asks, though it’s more an acknowledgement than a question.

Hector nods, “It was all stuff I already knew. They hated me, hated what I became, especially now that they saw I’m a homosexual appearantly,” he huffs out a small empty laugh, “It was nice that I finally had a chance to tell them off, but then I felt myself being pulled like I was in a current, and I heard your voice calling to me.”

Isaac’s chest tightens as he feels his eyes brimming with tears, but he tries to hold them back for Hector’s sake.

“Then, they said…” Hector swallows heavily, “They said it was the last time I’d see them. And I asked them, ‘Won’t I be coming back here?’, and then I woke up.” he pauses, “What do you think they meant by that?”

Isaac stayed silent, choosing his words carefully. He usually wasn’t one for optimism or certainty, but there was no other explanation he could think of, and with Hector… with Hector he couldn’t resist being honest.

“Perhaps,” he begins, “Perhaps it means that when your soul leaves this realm for good, you will have redeemed yourself in God’s eyes enough to be welcomed to heaven.”

Hector let out a small whine, throwing an arm over his eyes as if to hide the tears dripping down his face. Isaac pressed a small kiss to his shoulder, “It’s a good thing, Hector.”

“I know, I just… I don’t…” he choked on a sob, “I-it sounds too good to be true...”

“Maybe,” Isaac concedes, “I’m not one for believing things to be written in stone, but this time I think fate is on your side.”

“What about you?” Hector asks as he removes his arm to look at him.

“Me?” Isaac huffed out a laugh, “Well, with everything I’ve done, I don’t think I’d be allowed anywhere near Heaven’s gates.”

“Then I won’t go.” he said plainly.

Isaac’s eyes widen ever so slightly, taken aback by the statement, “You… you’d turn your back on eternal peace and happiness for me?” he asked, nearly stunned with disbelief.

Hector softly smiles, laying a hand on his cheek and pressing their foreheads together, “I wouldn’t be happy if you weren’t there.”

The forgemaster took a deep shaky breath as he shut his eyes, “Do you remember… do you remember what my favorite wisdom from Mohammad, peace be upon him, is?”

“Of course,” he smiles as he recites it, “‘One day, Hell will be emptied, and it's doors will rattle in the wind’. You said it was your mother’s favorite too.”

“I think she liked it because it was so full of hope.” he sighs, glancing down in thought, “I suppose there is something comforting in the idea that one day we'll learn to get along and live in harmony…”

“But?” he presses

“But after all the cruelty I faced, the idea seemed… impossible. So I thought there must be a different way to achieve it.” 

Hector hummed softly, “Like emptying Hell by your own hand for an army?”

“Yes, like that.” he chuckled, “But then you changed that.”

“Never thought I’d be the one to leave that sort of impact on people.” he said, “I always thought I was rather passive.”

“You’re not,” Isaac says, “You just like to analyze things, like when you told me that the more time you spent with vampires the more you thought of them as cats. You like to listen instead of speak, that doesn’t make you passive Hector, it makes you…” his voice trailed off as he sighed, “I’m sorry I misjudged you back then. I’m sorry I pushed you away and let things-” he was cut off when Hector clasped a hand over his mouth, meeting his lover’s confused carnelian eyes with his own calm cerulian ones.

“Are you going to keep making things your own fault all the time, or do I need to kiss you like a Benedictine monk from a different monastery to shut you up?” he asks with a coy smile.

Isaa laughs, wiping away the tears in the corners of his eyes, “No,” he says as he Hector pulls the blanket over them, “but I would like the kiss anyways.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you thought it was over but it's not >:3  
> next chapters are just gonna be tying things up, and then an epilogue


	14. Betrayal

Trevor referred to people watching as ‘a fancy word for creeping on people’. Sypha still did it because that was Trevor’s opinion and while she’d never say he was wrong about his opinions he was wrong.

But something he was right about was her needing to stop and take a moment. While the deaths of the innocent townspeople still weighed heavy on her, it weighed a little less as she watched neighbors handing out blankets and people gathering all the food they had and rationing it out to the less fortunate, things she hadn’t seen because she was too busy pushing herself to help.

Eventually her eyes settle on a little boy, giggling as he runs circles around the busy adults and delighting in the minor inconveniences he causes. She laughs, because it's something she could imagine herself doing as a kid. But there’s also something touching about it, in the way a child could still have fun and be mischievous even after such a harrowing time. The boy is only stopped when he bumps right into the judge, who seems rather displeased by the boy’s lollygagging. 

“Travis, you and I both know I have lectured you countless times for your recklessness, and I am certainly in no mood to do so.” he reprimanded. The boy looked to the side shamefully, tongue in cheek. Sypha can’t help but cringe as she recalls the awful sickening feeling of getting in trouble with adults.

The Judge sighed, kneeling down to meet the boy’s eyes, “I’ll tell you what,” he said in a hushed voice as he smiled, “I’ve got a special job for you, would you like to hear about it?”

The boy smiled, nodding eagerly.

“Go into the woods past where your parents tell you not to stray, and there you will find an apple tree. Now, I want you to pick three apples from the tree and bring them to me. Can you do that?”

“Yes, sir!” the boy beamed, before running off into the forest.

After watching the events unfold, Sypha got up and walked over to the Judge who was straightening out his robes, “What was that all about?” she asks.

He looked at her in surprise, “You heard all that?” he paused, then relaxed as he explained, “Ah, I suppose it was hard to ignore with that boy running around like a loose bull.”

“Just a little.” she giggles, making a tiny finger gesture.

“I like to give the children nonsense tasks,” he explains, motioning to the woods, “The apple tree actually isn’t too far away, but it will keep him busy and thinking he gets to break a rule.”

“That’s very kind of you.” she commended, “You know, I think you’d get along with my grandfather, you guys actually say a lot of the same things.”

The Judge smiled at the offer, “That sounds lovely Sypha.” he says, “You know, I was thinking of having a festival after we finish repairing the damages, something to keep morale up in these trying times. I’d like to invite your clan to join us, it would be my pleasure to host them after all you’ve done for us.”

“Oh, we’d be honored!” she beams, “You know, Speakers are always willing to help no matter what. I think they would like to provide aid to you people, Judge.”

“If you think it will help move things along, I say go for it.” he nodded, “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll have to make sure Travis didn’t wander off too far and get lost.” 

“Of course.” she nods, waving him off as he went off into the forest.

-

“Trevor!” Alucard said as he grabbed the hunter by the arm, pulling him away from the stall. The Belmont stumbled, the two plates in his hands tilting and spilling the contents onto the dirt, “Hey, our lunch-!”

“Trevor I need you to listen to me and listen carefully,” the dhampir hissed, jerking his arm to make him look up, “Where’s the Judge?”

“The Judge?” he blinked, “I’d imagine he’s up at the town hall doing business.”

“I checked, he’s not there.” he sighed as he began dragging him, “We don’t have time for this, we need to find Sypha and-”

“Have time for what, what the fuck’s going on!?” Trevor yelled as he yanked his arm away, rubbing it with a clearly offended look.

“Those children's shoes you saw in his closet? Trophies.” he deadpans.

“... trophies?” he echoes, looking completely baffled, “What are you even-” it clicked, his eyes widening as his expression turns horrified, “Oh, fuck.”

“Indeed.” Alucard nodded.

“Shit,” he hissed under his breath, “Shitshitshitshitshit. We need to find him,  _ now _ .”

“I’ve already informed Taka and Sumi,” he said, “If you come across Sypha-”

“Got it.” he said as he ran off.

He ran, each and every second feeling like a waste of time. Soon, the well came into sight, and with it Sypha.

She looked up, smiling (God how it broke his heart knowing he was going to destroy it) as she saw him approaching, “Well, it’s about-”

“Sypha, we’ve got a problem.” he said as he grabbed her, lowering his head as he caught his breath.

She blinked at him, eyes and voice full of concern, “What is it? Another night creature?”

“Worse,” he swallows, “The Judge. He’s killing kids Sypha.”

“What?” she recoiled, “But, how, he wouldn’t, I mean-”

“Sypha please, I know it’s hard to believe but please,” he said as he looked her in the eyes, “We need to find him.”

Her thoughts were swirling, heart pounding in her chest. The accusation was so sudden, so much so she wanted to question it. She couldn’t, or possibly didn’t want to believe it, she didn’t want to believe such a nice, open-minded man could be capable of such a thing... but deep down she knew her beliefs were irrelevant when there was even the slightest chance a life was at stake.

“The woods,” she swallows, “He told a child to find an apple tree, and went after him shortly after.”

A sense of urgency immediately fell over them, “Which direction did they go?”

“Follow me.” she said, running up the path into the woods. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, but her mind was running faster.

What if this was the wrong way? What if they had taken a turn she didn’t know about? What if there was more than one apple tree?

She suddenly stopped, looking around in confusion, “I don’t-”

“This way,” Trevor said as he took up the chase then, following freshly snapped branches and leaves that had been freshly brushed aside to reveal wet dirt.

At last the forest parts into a small clearing in the nick of time.

The boy is on his tiptoes, reaching for an apple as he steps forward. The ground under his foot crumbles.

“Watch out!” Trevor calls to him as he practically tackles the boy, holding him close as they land hard on solid ground. He groans as he sits up, looking the boy up and down as he cries. There's blood on hi forehead, gushing from a small cut. It looks bad, but he knows from experience it won't need stiches.

“Trevor!” Sypha bolts over, “Is he-?”

“Just a scratch.” he sighs, rubbing the boy’s back as he stands, “Just a scratch...”

Sypha watched them for a moment, then walks over to the pit, eyes widening as she observes the bloodied spikes at the bottom. There’s scraps of cloth, bones that are so small her mind says ‘animal’ instead of ‘human’ at first. In some corner of her mind she knows she’s supposed to scream in horror or vomit in disgust, but the only thing she feels is a rage so intense it numbs her mind. She looks to the boy, Travis, she recalls, as he shakes and sobs, and knows what she’s going to do.

Her voice is barely above a whisper.

Trevor looked to her, “What?”

“Get him home.” she repeats, louder this time, “I’ll take care of this.”

Trevor looks between her and the child, torn between the two, “Sypha, we’ll both go back and-”

“When he sees there isn’t a body, he’ll know he’s been caught and run.” she deadpans. The looks in her eyes is one he’s never seen before, cold and burning all at the same time, “Take him home.”

Trevor swallows, hesitating, “I-I’ll come back quickly.” he promises, “I’ll send Alucard this way when I run into him, he’s um, he’s quicker.”

She nods, nothing even watching him leave. Her eyes remained focused on the path coming up to the tree as she waits, like a snake waiting to strike vermin.

When he finally appears, looking behind himself and then gasping in surprise when he sees her, she doesn’t move.

“Sypha!” he sighs in relief, holding a hand to his chest as if to calm his startled heart, “What… what are you-?”

“Why did you do it?” she cuts off his question with one of her own.

“Pardon?” he asks with a clueless look that just pisses her off even more. She silently points to the pit, to the evidence of his crimes.

There’s a moment of silence where he seems to debate himself, before sighing, “You want an explanation.” he states matter of factly, folding his hands.

“Who gave you the right?” Sypha snapped, gritting her teeth, “Who gave you the right to decide who deserves life and who doesn’t!?”

“I assumed that responsibility when I became the leader of this city,” the Judge replied coolly, “You cannot tell me that if people like Isaac or Hector had been disposed of as children, the tens of thousands of people would not still be alive.”

The rage flares up. It’s unfamiliar, overwhelming as she shakes with it, “Don’t play that game with me.” she says, voice dangerously low, “You can’t say those things for sure.”

“So you say,” he shrugs, “But I know that the child that steals toys from his playmates will grow into the man who robs at knifepoint, I know the child who clumsily runs around without a worry for anyone else’s safety will one day cause a farming accident that takes more lives than it needs to. I am protecting these people, Sypha, you must understand that.” he said as he stepped forward, reaching out to grab her.

A fatal move.

The water from the wet ground condenses beneath, a frozen stake shooting up from the ground. 

Sypha jumps back, watching the impaled Judge struggle, gurgling on his own blood which pools in his mouth around the spike running out through it. It only lasts a second if that, and then he falls limp. 

The Speaker stared at the corpse with an expression one could mistake for indifference, but that is far from the case.

She doesn’t know how long she stands there, how long she watches the ground become soaked with the blood of someone who she had once called an ally, perhaps even a friend.

A hand, too smooth to be Trevor’s, gently grabs her shoulder. She looks over at Alucard, his amber eyes filled with worry, his eyebrows pinched. He opens his mouth, then closes it. There’s nothing he could say, no words could untangle the mess of what they feel, of what had just happened.

Perhaps it is fitting then that she, the Speaker, speaks first.

“I’m not naive,” she breathes, her mask of calm anger breaking, “I, I know the world can be awful and cruel when you least expect it… so why does it still hurt?”

It’s a question Alucard had asked himself too many times to count. All he can answer with is a hug that breaks the dam holding back her tears.


	15. Aftermath, Part 1: Trevor and Sypha

Everyone was hurting.

The families having to identify the shoes of their missing children. Alucard doing his best to sort the bones by age and gender. Hector recovering from death itself. So she almost felt ashamed of her pain, knowing others had lost more than just friendship.

She had put an end to the Judge’s reign of terror, and yet it felt like it wasn’t enough. She sat on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared off into space.

Trevor watched her from the corner of his eyes as he washed her robes clean of dirt and blood, watching the lines of sadness and anger etch ever deeper into her face, her bright eyes overcome with a sort of haze. He would have done anything to take her pain away, he would have hugged her until he squeezed out every bit of suffering and soak it up himself if he thought he could. 

He struggled to recall a time before he’d become a loner, a time with family. He tried to recall the ways he was comforted, what made him feel safe and loved.

“I, um,” he cleared his throat, “You wanna talk about it?”

Sypha looked up, and smiled a smile so small it was easy to miss. Then it quickly faded as she hid her face in the crook of her arms, muttering a single “Why?”

Trevor took a deep breath, abandoning the washing in favor of sitting at her side, gently pulling her into an embrace. She let out a shaky breath as she clung to him, like he was the only thing holding her above a pit of endless despair.

“Why?” she says again as tears slide down her cheek, dripping onto his shoulder steadily, “Why couldn’t I see through him…?”

“Because…” Trevor shut his eyes, searching for the right words, “Because the world never makes it easy, sometimes it takes more than it gives back without warning. Because evil does not wear a mask. It has different faces, like the face of a friend or a leader, or even a father so that it can take advantage of the good-intentioned who let it consume them. And when it wears the face of someone you care for, it's especially hard-hitting in ways you never thought was possible.” 

She pulled back enough to look into his eyes, lip wobbling and eyes brimming with tears yet to have fallen, “Does it always hurt this much?”

“Sometimes,” he replies softly, “Sometimes it hurts more, sometimes it hurts less. It’s not always worth it, but when it is it’s more fulfilling than you can even imagine. And when your low points hit, I’m always here to hurt with you for as long as you need me too.”

At last he felt her tense muscles relax, practically melting into his arms. Her expression was calmer, a bit of the weight on her shoulders alleviated. 

“Feel better?” he asked.

“No,” she smiles up at him, “But I do feel reassured. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, all powerful Scholar of Magic.” he says, pressing a kiss to her temple. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath was meant to be one chapter, but it's finals week and I wanted to get things rolling sooner rather than later. forgive me TTwTT


	16. Aftermath, Part 2: Hector, Isaac, and Miranda

Hector sighed as he smacked his lips, groggily opening his eyes. He had just about had enough of lying in bed with nothing to do but taste his own breath. 

Throwing the covers off of himself, he carefully sat up, wincing a few times as his wound flashed with pain when he turned the wrong way. He held onto the bedside table as he stood, until he regained his sense of balance and walked to the window, at the people trying to make sense in the aftermath of the chaos.

Behind him the door opens, “Hector?” Isaac gasps, “You should be-”

“I’m not overdoing, don’t worry.” he mumbled, having no energy left for arguing. 

Thankfully, Isaac didn’t seem to push the issue further. Instead he walked over, following his lover’s gaze out the window, “What are you looking at?”

“Those people out there,” he begins, “They don’t even know who I am, what I went through for them. We could have left before this got out of hand.”

“Mhmm.” Isaac hummed, “And you want to know why we didn’t.”

Hector laughed, his chuckle hollow, “You’d think I’d understand why I wanted to save the people I just tried to put in pens but a year ago.”

“I don’t think either of us will understand for some time,” he says thoughtfully, “Maybe we wanted to play the heroes instead of villains for once, or maybe we did end up seeing the light of humanity after all these cruel years. But whatever the reason might be…” he paused, grabbing Hector’s hand and holding it tenderly in his own, “It is a welcome change.”

Hector looked away as he felt his cheeks heat up, trying to hide his laugh as it bubbled up from his chest.

“What?” Isaac half-laughed as he wrapped an arm around him.

“I hate that look,” he said as he leaned against him, “The one where you look at me like I’m the world.”

“Because you are my everything.” he replied softly, pulling him close for an overdue long and tender kiss.

“And what am I, chopped liver?” came Miranda’s voice as she leaned in the doorway, “You two are so sweet it makes me sick.” she scoffed as she waltzed over.

“Apologies Miranda.” Isaac smiled at her, “I meant no offense.”

“Please, I’m thankful not to be included in your sappy speeches.” she says as she crosses her arms.

Hector said nothing, instead staring at his feet in thought.

“Hector?” Miranda said, gently coaxing him out of his thoughts.

The silver-haired forgemaster looked up, pursing his lips in hesitation, “I... think we should stay.”

Surprisingly, there’s no wave of questions afterwards. Simply an “Alright.” from Isaac.

“Really?” he blinked, “Just like that, you’re fine with it?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” he said, “Anywhere with you is fine by me.”

“As for me, I’m too old for that shit.” Miranda added, “My poor bones much prefer beds to the back of a wagon.”

“I’ll second that,” Hector agreed.

“And baths, don’t forget the baths.” Isaac tacks on, “Then it’s decided. In Lindenfield we stay.”

There’s a moment where everything feels like it falls into place, that finally there is a life of stability and love that the two lovers had craved since they were children. As for Miranda, she could gladly say she was happy to be part of their little found family. Not out loud, of course, but she expressed it in her own little ways.

Such as, “Welp, if we’re moving into this place, all I ask for is a rocking chair and a front porch.”


	17. Aftermath, Part 3: Alucard, Taka, and Sumi

He wanted time alone.

After sorting out the remains of children, wondering how long they suffered in that pit as he handled their bones he was left drained. He hadn’t even been able to manage offering his condolences to the grieving families as he handed over the remains, and as soon as the last one was in their family’s hands he went off into the woods.

It was easier to listen to the sounds of nature than it was his own thoughts.

So he sat by the creek’s edge, shoes off to the side as he dipped his feet into the cold water. It kept him present, in his body rather than his mind, and that was the last place he wanted to be.

Two footsteps approached in the distance, stepping carefully as if trying not to make noise.

“Did you not learn the last time?” he asks without turning his head, “Or do I have to start throwing rocks again?”

It was amazing how the desire to be alone quickly melted away with their presence.

Taka laughed, “Please, my ribs still ache from the last time.” he said as he stepped over a row of bushes, holding his hand out to help Sumi over.

“We were worried about you.” she says, grunting as she stumbled a bit.

“You’re worried about me.” he echoed, shutting his eyes, “Why?”

“It’s the appropriate thing to do after your friend stops the end of the world for a second time.” she deadpanned.

Alucard finally looked back at them, then laughed, “I suppose I do have a nasty habit of getting involved in these sorts of things, don’t I?” he sighed as they sat next to him, “Another perk of my lineage, it seems.”

Taka frowned, “Hey, I thought you said you were going to stop saying those sort of things.”

“Sorry, habit.” he shrugged. 

They sat at his side, Sumi laying her head on his shoulder as they stared into the water.

Alucard took a deep breath, “I wanted to… I meant to say earlier, that I’m really proud of you two. For handling the other end of things.”

“We could have done better.” Taka said melancholily. Sumi hums in agreement.

Alucard pursed his lips, “You… you’re always going to feel like you could have done a better job. I should have warned you earlier that the life of a hunter… you’re never going to be satisfied.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Taka said sarcastically and laughed, before it trailed off, “... but I get what you’re saying.”

Silence fell between them, but it wasn’t really silence. There was the wind blowing through the leaves, a crow cawing in the distance, water rushing over smooth stones.

“I saw my parents,” he says.

“In the portal?” Sumi gasps in disbelief as she straightens up. He nodded.

“Oh Alucard…” she said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder, “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s alright,” he says, smiling sadly, “Honestly now that I think about it, it’s not surprising she’s there. She lived a good and kind life, but knowing her she probably told off God and told Him to get His worshippers under control.”

The three of them exchanged a looked, before bursting out with hysterical laughter. They laughed until their stomachs hurt, until they couldn’t breathe, until Alucard was in that weird place between crying and laughing. Sumi and Taka stopped, looking at him with concern.

The dhampir sniffled, chuckling, “I just… she was so headstrong, even if her town was full of superstitious and God-fearing people, she set up that damn clinic despite our warnings and… and…” he whimpered, voice so quiet it was nearly drowned out by the rushing creek, “Is it… is it possible to admire and curse someone’s trait at the same time…?”

“Of course,” Taka said as they pulled him into a tight hug, “Of course.”

The last time he cried this hard was after Trevor and Sypha left, when he was left alone with the burden of his actions and fragile mind. He wailed and cried about how unfair the world was and about his damn father as he pulled at his hair and hid his face in his hands.

And strangely, it felt good to.

When it was over his straightened up, pushing his mess of cornsilk hair from his face and wiping at his cheeks with the heel of his hands, “I’m sorry-”

“Don’t.” Taka cut him off, but there was no bite behind the word, “After all the time you spent helping us, it's the least we can do.”

“We’re your friend dummy, it's our job to care about you.” Sumi adds.

"After all the time you spent training our sorry butts, it's the least we can do." he said half-jokingly.  
  
“Actually, I wanted to address your training,” Alucard said, “About you two and how you handled the battle.”

Taka and Sumi exchanged a worried glance, “Did, did we do something wrong?” he asked.

“No no. Quite the contrary in fact,” he assured, “You both did perfectly. You used the knowledge I taught you and the knowledge you already had, and I couldn’t be more proud.” he paused, taking a deep breath, “Which is why I think you two are ready to head back to Japan.”

The serene sounds of nature were then interrupted by a resounding “WHAT!?”

“But I-I don’t understand!” Taka sputtered, “Didn’t you just say we were doing everything right!?”

“Precisely,” Alucard nodded, “Proving yourselves in battle has reassured far more than any test I could have come up with that your abilities, both magic and otherwise, that you’ve exceeded expectations.”

“So, what you’re saying is…” he paused as the realization sinks in, “We’ve done what we set out to do?”

The dhampir smiled and nodded again in confirmation.

“Holy shit,” Sumi breathed, “But, I mean, so quickly?”

“If you feel like you need more knowledge, I’ll be happy to teach you. Whatever it is.” he said, “I’m just telling you, I feel like your training is complete.”

Sumi and Taka exchanged a quick glance at each other, “Will you let us talk about it?” Sumi asked, “Privately?”

“Of course.” he said as if they even needed to ask.

They stood and walked back into the woods, and Alucard focused his attention to the stream, suppressing his hearing for their privacy. He tried not to think about what they were saying, rather, he focused on the way the water rushed over the curves of the stones, smoothed by years of erosion. He watched the way the sunlight sparkled upon hitting the water, giving the illusion of small jewels appearing and disappearing on its surface. He remembers skipping stones across shimmering lakes as a child, and wondering if he could still-

“Alucard.” came Taka’s voice. Alucard stood and turned to face them, watching their faces for any signs of their decision.

“We’ll return,” he says, “But only if you promise us one thing.”

Alucard blinked, completely clueless as to what the request might be, “What?”

“That you return to Sypha and Trevor.”

The dhampir tensed, pursing his lips as he looked away, “I, I shouldn’t. They have their life now and-”

“Alucard.” Sumi said firmly, “What makes you think they have no room in their lives for their friend?”

He opened his mouth to argue, but his mind drew a blank.

“You told me yourself that you had wished you’d ask them to stay every day,” Taka said, “I think it’s time you stop wishing and start doing, yes?”

“... maybe.” he murmurs. The idea of a more permanent relationship, of being part of a found family was overwhelmingly scary, but… maybe that was okay. It wasn’t like he hadn’t faced his fears before, pressing on despite the unknown outcome. So maybe, just maybe, the least he could do is try.

Once more, he finds himself in their arms, smiling a dumb smile as he looked down at them.

“And if I find out you went back and locked yourself in that castle I’ll come right back across the continent and kick your ass.” Sumi threatened with a smile.

“Alright, alright, you’ve made your point.” he chuckles, trying and failing to blink back tears, “But I hope you know it won’t make me miss you two any less.”

“We know.” they both as they began to sniffle. Alucard wrapped his arms around them, holding them as close as he could, content with the fact his mother had been right all along about humans.


	18. Goodbyes

Isaac watched in silence as the wagon was packed by Trevor and Taka, inventory double checked and ropes double checked.

“It’s been a journey, hasn’t it?” Sypha asked as she stood by him, arms full of books taken from the Church.

“It sure has,” he agreed, smiling as he turned to her, “I never thought I’d say this, but it has been an honor fighting by your side.”

“Likewise.” she beamed, looking over to where Miranda and Hector were conversing, “I hope Lindefield will be kind to you.”

“And the roads kind to you,” he replied, a little awkwardly as he realized he was only repeating things back at this point. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, their eyes saying everything that words couldn’t express enough.

Suddenly came the sound of several things crashing to the ground.

“Damn it, who taught you how to knot a rope!?”   
“I’m self-taught, give me a break!”

“I should go take care of that.” she laughed helplessly, giving a half-hearted shrug as she walked to the cart, “Oh, for the love of-, you’re both terrible at packing!”

Isaac chuckled, shaking his head lightly. He watched for only a moment longer, before heading over to his fellow forgemasters, “Any news on a home?”

“Well, the townspeople are more than happy to give us that old Church,” Hector explained, “Since none of them even want to go near it.”

Isaac hummed in thought, “I suppose we can’t be picky.” he sighed, looking up as Sumi and Alucard came out of the inn with the rest of their belongings. The dhampir stopped in front of him, silent and stoic, their eyes locked as if trying to get a read on the other.

“I…” Alucard paused to take a deep breath, “My father, my father would be happy for you.”

The forgemaster visibly flinched, taking in a shaky gasp as the words struck him. He shut his eyes mournfully, a single tear running down his cheek, before smiling and opening them, “And I know he’s proud of you.”

Alucard smiled back, nodding in acknowledgement before walking over to the wagon, Sumi trailing behind quickly with a quick “Thank you for your help!” to them. Isaac sighed and slump noticeably, only to straighten back up when Hector laid a hand on his shoulder. He smiled, taking his hand in his and pressing a kiss to his knuckles.

“Alright, I think that’s it.” Sypha announced, hopping off the back of the wagon, “We’ll write to you soon, promise.” she told the forgemasters.

Miranda surprised them all by walking over to the Speaker, dropping a satchel into her hand.

Sypha blinked, “What’s this?” she asked as she pulled it open, only to get smacked in the face with the smell of strong herbs.

“For your aura.” Miranda said, smiling, “Be well, Speaker. Go cause those night creatures and holier-than-thou assholes Hell for me, alright?”

“Of course,” Sypha nodded, hugging her tightly, “Thank you.”

Miranda chuckled and patted her back before she let go, hopping onto the cart with the rest and waving goodbye as they went off into the forest.

The forgemasters waved back until they disappeared from view, to which Hector looked over to Miranda, “That was surprisingly nice of you.”

“I’m eccentric, not heartless.” she chuckled, pulling her pipe from her sleeve and lighting, “So about that Church, how many night creatures do you think it’d take to get renovations done quick?”

* * *

“... so backtrack to the Castle to drop these two off through the mirror, circle back around to Braila to reunite with Sypha’s people…” Trevor hummed in thought as he looked over the map, seated next to Sypha in the front, “You know, I’m now regretting not taking the demon horses from Castlevania, they seemed faster and stronger.”

“Oh shut up, Trevor, our horses are perfectly fine.” Sypha chided, patting the rump of one of their steeds. Trevor looked over and smiled at her. Honestly, he’d spend the rest of his life on the road if it meant being with her.

“So, since we have all this time to ourselves,” Taka said as he poked his head between them, “Does this mean we can hear the story of how you defeated Dracula?”

“Of course,” Sypha smiled, “But only if you tell us about Japan first, I’d love to hear your stories!”

“Ours?” he exchanged a look with Sumi.

“But, our stories aren’t really interesting.” Sumi said, “We only travelled through four providences after our escape, before we stowed away on a ship and went across the continent.”

“How on Earth is that not interesting?” she countered, “Come on now, I want every detail!”

“Hey Sypha, why don’t we all go to Japan?” Trevor offered.

“Us? In Japan?” she said in confusion

“Yeah, you said you wanted to travel and explore the corner’s of the world.” Trevor explained happily, “Well, how much further away than Japan?”

“Much further actually,” Alucard piped in, “There’s continents on the other side of the world, more far than Japan.”

Trevor glared at him, “If you want to keep your teeth I suggest you stop talking.”

“Make me.” he challenged with a smirk.

“Boy, boys, you’re both pretty.” Sypha rolled her eyes, “Besides, I don’t think I’d be in any condition for cross-continental travel.”

“Why not?” he deflated, a little concerned. Was she ill? Had Lindenfield dampened her travelling spirit and depressed her?

“Well…” she hummed with a cheeky smile, “It’s going to be hard to travel while I’m carrying around a baby in me.”

The entire cart went silent, everyone staring at her in disbelief except for Trevor.

“Oh, yeah. I suppose you’re right.” he agreed, before his eyes went as wide as dinner plates as the words hit him, “WAIT, WHAT!?"


	19. Epilogue

_ Five Years Later _

Lindenfield had its stories as always, though these ones were relatively new. The children whispered them to each other in hushed voices, while the adults knew better than to ask too many questions.

There was a favorite among the kids, the story of a witch who lived in what used to be a Church but was now divided up into a large house at the bottom of the hill with her two protegees. Some of them said she was so old that she had seen the life and death of Christ, and that she was still alive because she kept telling off Death. If you approached her, she would threaten to eat your toes and chew on your eyes… unless you had a satchel of dried herbs for her pipe, in which case she’d be happy to sit and chat with you all day.

“It still feels like you’re scamming those poor children.” Hector scoffs as he tends to their small vegetable garden, a humble little plot below their front window. His hair, now down to his shoulders, was pulled back into a loose ponytail, just to keep it out of his face as he worked.

“It’s not a scam, it’s a trade.” Miranda argues as she fills her pipe, “Herbs for stories, tit for tat.”

“If you insist.” he says as he goes back to his gardening. The day is breezy and grey, clouds overhead shielding the people below from the hot sun. Hector much preferred days like this which made it easier to work outside. Miranda likes it because she could sit comfortably on her rocking chair while at the same time it wasn’t cold enough for her arthritis to flare. 

Hector is in the middle of pruning the tomato plant he just bought, when he hears a timid small voice behind him, “Mr. LaForeze?”

Hector turned to see a little girl about eight years of age, with a younger boy clinging to her skirt. In her hands she held a cloth, which was carefully wrapped around something small.

“May I help you?” he asks, glancing between the two. 

The girl shifts nervously, opening and closing her mouth a few times before speaking, “My, our kitten got out, and our neighbor’s dog shook her to death, and my cousin said that you, um, you could help us.”

Of course there were stories surrounding the witch’s students as well.

“Of course dear,” he smiled softly, wiping his hands in his apron, “Come right in.”

“Thank you sir.” the girl nodded, beckoning her brother to follow.

Inside Isaac was reading a book at the kitchen table. His hair, which he had allowed to grow after years of keeping it shaved, had grown into beautiful red hair, which was braided into intricate dreads.

“We have company,” Hector said as he walked over, pecking his cheek.

Isaac smiled up at his partner, before looking to the two children, “Can I get you two anything? Some tea perhaps?”

The children shook their heads, before the girl asked, “Can you fix our kitten?”

“Let me see,” Hector said as he carefully unwrapped the cloth. The little tabby had a few puncture marks, but otherwise seemed intact, “What’s her name?”

“Agatha.” the girl replied, before gasping as if suddenly remembering something, “Oh, Micheal! Give him the coins!”

The boy nodded, rummaging his pockets before producing two coins from them. He held them out with a nervous hand, still clinging to his sister with the other.

“Well, little Agatha will be up and about in just a moment.” the forgemaster promised as he took the coins with one hand and reached for the cat with the other, “May I?”

The girl handed over the kitten, watching intently as the man set it down on the table.

They watched in amazement as the forgemaster struck the coins together, cold blue sparks flying from the metal with each melodic ring. Upon the fifth and final strike, a burst of blue flames burst forth from the sound, swirling through air. The girl gasped in fear, grabbing her brother and holding him close as he covered his eyes.

The flames fell into the tiny corpse, before it twitched and meowed. The boy gasped and looked up at the sound, running over and cautiously whispering, “Agatha?”

The kitten stood up and shook its head, mewing at her humans as she looked at them with bright blue eyes. The boy’s face lit up as he picked her up, holding her close and crying tears of joy as the kitten licked them off his cheek.

“Here,” Hector said, handing the coins back to him, “Be very careful not to let her get out again, alright?”

“Yes, sir!” the boy beamed as he returned to the sister’s side.

“Thank you so much, sir!” the girl said, before pulling her brother along and heading out the door.

Hector watched the siblings as they shut the door behind themselves, before sitting down next to his partner, “They seemed like good kids.”

“I suppose.” Isaac replied, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Their hands moved closer, intertwining fingers and holding tight.

“What have you been reading about today?” he asked, peering down at the book on the table.

The stories said the other student was a well-traveled man with strange marks on his skin, who had single-handedly taken down armies. Fortunately, he had decided to retire as a Scholar in Lindenfield rather than add it to the cities he conquered, and became a man known far and wide for his talents and knowledge of magic.

“A book on Egyptian rituals.” he answered as he picked the book back up, “Particularly their belief on how their sun god Ra controls night and day.”

“Which is?” Hector presses as he lays his head on his shoulder.

“Well, first he is born at sunrise, devours other entities until he reaches his peak strength at noon, and then spits them out at sunset, to which they form stars. Then night marks his death and journey to the underworld, where he merges with the god Osiris to become renewed, to which he then repeats his endless journey. Thus, his cycle is essential to all life and is why he is worshipped as a king god, among other feats.”

“How strange,” he hums, “Could you imagine dying and coming back every single day?”

“Well, you did it once. That’s enough for me.” he said as they laughed.

Mirand walked in past them, straight to the cabinets, “You boys keep having your fun,” she said as she rummaged through them, “But I’m going to have some tea for myself.”

“Wait, let me help,” Isaac said as he rushed over, “I moved the tea jars over here.”

“Well why in the devil’s name would you do that, they were just fine where they were!” she scoffed.

Hector rested his chin in his hand as he watched them in thought. His life had sure taken a number of strange and unexpected turns over the course of it…

But he wouldn’t change a thing.

* * *

“Come on now, you can do it!” Trevor called, clapping his hands, “Come here, come to papa!”

His ten-month old son stared at him unfazed.

“He’s a baby, not a dog, Trevor.” his wife teased from the wagon, as their five year old daughter Sonia added, “Yeah dad!” in the same sarcastic tone. They were so uncannily alike, Trevor swore she inherited her sass from her mother.

Trevor responded maturely by sticking his tongue out at them, “Bullies, the both of you!” he said, feigning hurt as he walked over and picked up his son, “You’re on my side, right Mohammad?”

Mohammad cooed and grabbed his nose.

“See ladies?” he said as he turned to them, “At least my son is- owowowOW!” he yelped as baby nails dug into his nose, gently prying his fingers off, “Fuck, they’re sharper than demon claws!”

His son giggled, seemingly proud of maiming his father.

“I’ve been betrayed.” he gasps dramatically, much to his son’s amusement.

“Okay boys, that’s enough.” she calls, putting her book to the side, “I think we’ve stretched our legs enough, back on the road we go.”

“Aye aye, captain.” Trevor saluted, handing the baby to her before walking to the front of the cart. Sonia jumped into the front seat as her father sat, “Where we goin’?”

“Home.” he replied as he snapped the rein.

Slowly but surely, his family home was being restored to its former glory with funds they amassed from their demon hunting adventures. It was an unconventional life for others, but for Belmont and Belnades there was no other way to raise a family.

“Will Alucard be there?” she asked as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

“No dear, I told you he’s visiting friends.” he reminded her, “Remember?”

She groaned, “But he’s been gone forever!”

“A week may be a long time, but it’s not forever.” Sypha assured heras her son fed from her breast, “He’ll be back soon.”

“Fine.” she huffs, “But he better bring me a gift when he gets back.”

* * *

Taka hummed to himself as he dropped the bucket into the well, continuing to do so as he cranked the handle.

Behind him, Cho’s palace had been reclaimed by the humans, aided by the hunters who had traveled half-way across the world for the knowledge to take down the vampires which dominated their lives.

Something rustled the leaves in the treeline behind him, startling him. When he saw a giant white wolf emerge from the shadows though, he immediately calmed down.

“It’s not very nice to startle an old friend.”

The wolf changed form, emerging as the familiar Alucard, “I apologize.” he said ever so courtly, “It was easier and earned less stares if I traveled in that form.”

“Because you’re a dhampir or because you’re a white man?” Taka asked as he walked back into the palace.

“Both.” he replied as he followed, taking a quick look around the halls as they walked, “I love what you’ve done with the place.” he said. Images of vampires slaughtering humans along the screen walls had been replaced with scenes of wildlife and people living everyday life, a much more human touch than the previous decor.

“Well when the shoguns got word of us, you could imagine they were willing to pay anything to get monsters off of their lands.” he chuckled as he walked up a set of stairs, “We got invited to several functions in our honor actually. Sumi and I had to come up with last names so we could be properly addressed.”

“Last names?” he stopped in his tracks, “What is it?”

Taka looked back and smiled coyly, “That’s a surprise.” before continuing down his way. He stopped in front of a sliding door, pushing it open. 

Sumi laid on a futon, dressed in loose robes and hair undone as her infant laid on her chest.

“Sumi?” Taka called gently to his wife as he walked inside, putting the bucket of water down next to a small fireplace and tea set. She opened her eyes and looked over, gasping happily as she saw the dhampir, “Alucard!” she beamed, carefully sitting up. The baby fussed a little, but settled into her arms.

“Hello Sumi.” he smiled as he sat down by her side, “Did the birth go alright?”

“It sucked, but the midwives said everything went perfectly.” she said, shifting her arms for him to get a better look, “And this little boy is as healthy as can be.”

The baby yawned, face dotted with his father’s freckles and wisps of walnut hair atop his head. He was dressed in a small red robe, decorated with simple leaves and flowers.

“Hello there.” he smiled at him. The baby looked up at him and hiccuped, scrunching his nose.

“She’s a little grumpy in the afternoon, don’t mind her.” she explained, “Would you like to hold him?”

Alucard looked up in surprise, “Are, are you sure that’s alright?”

“Of course,” Taka smiled as he finally joined them with a fresh pot of tea and three cups, “Ss long as you don’t snatch her from our arms and devour her.” 

Alucard hummed, “Now that you mentioned it, I am a bit peckish.”

Sumi rolled her eyes, but nonetheless handed him her child. The baby looked up at him, cooing as he waved his tiny hands at him.

“Pleasure to meet you,” he tells him, “What’s your name?”

Sumi looked at her husband in surprise, “You didn’t tell him?”

“I wanted us both to tell him.” Taka explained.

Alucard chuckled, “Oh come on now, I can’t take all this suspense,” he pressed, “What is it?”

The couple exchanged a look and smiled,“We sort of named him after you,” Taka beams, “Or rather, a version of your name.”

Alucard blinked, clearly taken aback, “What do you mean?”

“We’ve named him ‘Arikado’, which means ‘a corner’.” Sumi explains as she boops her daughter’s nose, “Because our legacy has taken a corner.”

“Arikado…” the dhampir echoed, smiling down at the child, “I, I don’t know what to say. I suppose all I can say is that, I’m honored.”

Arikado babbled, tilting his head curiously at the dhampir before giggling and squirming in his arms excitedly.

“What about the last name?” he asked as he rocked him in his arms.

“Well, it’s a little silly, but we eventually settled on the name of the mountains you can see from the balconies.” Sumi explained, pointing out of the window to said mountains, “See them?”

“Yeah?”

“Those are the Hakuba mountains.” she told him, turning back in time to see her child grab and yank her friend’s golden locks.

“What a little ball of energy you are,” Alucard chuckled, not seeming too bothered, “I can already tell you’re a great addition to the Hakuba family.”

* * *

Many would consider this the end of their stories, but in fact it was only the beginning. They hadn’t known it at the time, but they had become legends in their own rights, pillar stones of their families legacy. Like the roots of a strong oak tree, it was what connected all of them, no matter how far the branches spread out. Perhaps you are familiar with the stories that came after, or maybe you aren’t. 

Just know that even when all seems lost and Hell is at you heels, stay hopeful and persevere like our friends had done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's finally done... i've done it...  
> warren ellis, if you're reading this........ suck my dick, you wish you were me.  
> to my loyal readers, thank you sososososo much!! and a special thanks to [castlevanian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/castlevanian/pseuds/castlevanian) for beta reading and encouraging me through out this whole journey. i couldn't have done it without your kindness 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙


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